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Enjoy this story from our archive, originally sent to TT members on .

Bread and Butter

Step aside sandwich; pickles take on the salad

Sweet, bright and crunchy, pickles are a classic sandwich accompaniment, but they get passed over where salads are concerned. No more: Jason Neroni, the new chef of L.A.'s Osteria La Buca, marinates thin slices of zucchini in a mixture of vinegar, sugar and spices before tossing the pickles into a salad that combines the flavors of sweet, sour and salty in a bold-yet-harmonious manner. Because radicchio can be bitter, Neroni first soaks the leaves in ice water to tame their bite, then tosses them with the brilliant-yellow pickles and herbs to build a salad that is the envy of many a sandwich.

Radicchio Salad with Zucchini Pickles

Recipe adapted from Jason Neroni, Osteria la Buca, Los Angeles

Yield: 8 servings


Cook Time: 20 minutes hands on time plus overnight and 1 hour soak

  • INGREDIENTS

    • 1 zucchini, cut into 1/16-inch slices

    1 cup white wine vinegar

    ¼ cup sugar

    Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

    1 tablespoon turmeric

    ¼ cup yellow mustard seeds

    2 cups red wine vinegar

    4 garlic cloves, peeled

    2 rosemary sprigs

    1 medium red onion, quartered

    4 heads radicchio, coarsely chopped

    ¼ cup mint leaves

    ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

    ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

    2 cups shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 8 ounces)

    15 Castelvetrano olives, pitted

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the zucchini in a heat-proof, lidded container. In a medium saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, sugar, ¼ cup salt, turmeric and mustard seeds and bring to a boil. Pour the hot mixture over the zucchini slices. Cover the container and refrigerate the pickles overnight.

2. In a separate container, combine the red wine vinegar, garlic, rosemary and red onion; cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. To assemble the salad, soak the radicchio in a large bowl of ice water for 1 hour. Drain, pat dry and reserve. Strain the red wine vinegar marinade through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.

4. Gently toss the radicchio with the mint, parsley, ¼ cup bread and butter pickles, ½ cup of the red wine vinegar marinade and the olive oil, Parmesan and olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

 
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About The Chef

Jason Neroni started his culinary career at age 16 in Disneyland's Club 33. Recognizing his love for cooking, he worked his way through some of the most celebrated kitchens in America and overseas, including Chez Panisse, Le Cirque, Blue Hill and El Bulli. He is now the new executive chef of Osteria La Buca in Los Angeles, where he's created a new back-to-basics menu based on grassroots Italian cooking.

Osteria La Buca, 5210 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; 323-462-1900 or osterialabuca.com

 

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