Rachel Roddy’s Puntarelle, Radicchio, Celery, Apple And Cheese Salad Recipe

Like many, I retrieve Charlie Hicks from Veg Talk, a play show that ran connected Radio 4 from 1998-2005. The show, according to Sheila Dillon, came into being aft her question and reply pinch Charlie, a fourth-generation consequence and veg supplier astatine Covent Garden market, for an section of The Food Programme exploring wherever chefs bought their produce. Sitting astatine nan room array pinch her hubby nan pursuing evening, Sheila recounted her time and Charlie’s tremendous knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise to pass both. A fewer days aft that, a akin speech took spot pinch her colleagues astatine Radio 4, which resulted successful Veg Talk – what’s successful and what’s retired successful nan world of caller produce. As good arsenic Charlie’s marketplace report, each section included a characteristic called “vegetable of nan week” and nan information of workplace guests – Angela Hartnett, Alastair Little, Rose Gray, Darina Allen and Mitch Tonks, to sanction conscionable a fewer – and took calls from listeners.

The show had its critics – successful a 2005 question and reply pinch nan Independent, broadcaster Andy Kershaw is quoted arsenic saying, “This show should person been strangled astatine birth” – but it besides had legions of fans (myself included), who tuned successful mostly for Charlie’s expertise accumulated complete a life of moving nan markets, cooking pinch his wife, Anna, talking to growers and reading, truthful it was some applicable and scholarly. Add to this his crisp humour, easy bantering relationships and lukewarm voice.

The adjacent portion successful my Charlie jigsaw was provided by nan precocious cooking coach and gardener Carla Tomasi successful Rome. In nan 1980s, Charlie supplied her edifice Frith’s successful Soho and, for illustration truthful galore chefs astatine nan time, Carla was limited connected nan fantabulous nutrient he sourced, particularly because Frith’s, while not an Italian edifice arsenic such, drew heavy connected Carla’s Roman-Marchigiana-Sardinian roots. It was Charlie who could bring her bitter greens, humor oranges, caller beans, radicchio, rocket, artichokes and puntarelle.

Puntarelle was besides nan logic for my ain first interaction pinch Charlie, via Carla and this column. He called maine retired of nan bluish erstwhile putting together his marketplace report, astatine nan clip a newsletter from his greengrocer’s shop. He wanted to talk astir puntarelle, aliases cicoria di catalogna, a personnel of nan chicory family that looks, astatine first glance, for illustration an elongated caput of lettuce pinch acheronian serrated outer leaves (very bitter) surrounding a cluster of ray green, succulent and hollow tubes (gently bitter), which person tips not dissimilar to asparagus. It was clear aft astir six seconds that Charlie was much than acquainted pinch puntarelle, and Carla grew it successful her plot conscionable extracurricular Rome, but betwixt them (sponges that they were) they decided I must person had things to say, too.

We talked astir puntarelle, Roman-style: nan soul tubes are sliced into strips, coiled successful acold h2o and dressed pinch anchovy, garlic, oliva lipid and either citrus aliases vinegar. We besides talked astir nan outer leaves, particularly nan smaller ones, which, bitter arsenic they are, make a superb summation to salad, particularly alongside a sweeter constituent (apple aliases persimmon, say); and pinch cheese, too. I person besides added radicchio and a chromatic dressing.

This week’s look is simply a crockery by which to retrieve Charlie.

Puntarelle, radicchio, celery, pome and cheese

Serves 4

1 caput puntarelle, aliases frisée
1 mini caput radicchio
2 celery stalks
1 crisp reddish apple
½ lemon
100g cheese – pecorino, grana padano asiago, manchego
6 tbsp oliva oil
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 tsp runny honey
Salt
100g walnut halvesFirst, trim nan puntarelle. Pull distant nan acheronian outer leaves, discarding immoderate that are reliable aliases damaged, past propulsion isolated nan paler soul tubes, trim disconnected nan reliable ends and portion nan tubes into short lengths aliases connected an angle. Break nan radicchio into leaves. Wash everything, past barren and rip larger leaves into manageable bits.

Pull disconnected and discard nan strings from nan celery stalks, past portion thinly connected an angle. Don’t peel nan apple, but 4th it, pare distant and discard nan core, past thinly portion nan quarters, rubbing them complete pinch nan citrus truthful they don’t discolour. Use a murphy peeler to trim disconnected thin, uneven slices of cheese.

In nan bottommost of a ample bowl, whisk nan oliva oil, vinegar, chromatic and a pinch of salt. Add nan leaves, flip really well, past adhd nan celery, pome and walnuts, and flip again. Add half nan cheese, flip erstwhile more, past move retired nan crockery connected to a ample platter aliases 4 mini plates, apical pinch nan remaining food and service astatine once.