This is an excellent side dish, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, the base of an elegant salad—combine it with Gorgonzola and walnuts, for example—or a fine topping for Grilled Polenta (page 530) or Crostini (page 41). Other vegetables to prepare this way: split Belgian endives (use four), or even small heads of romaine lettuce.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 heads of radicchio

　　1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 teaspoon minced garlic, optional

　　Lemon wedges for serving

　　

Step 1

Start a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be only moderately hot and the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Cut the radicchio in half and drizzle the cut sides with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you like, rub with the garlic.

　　

Step 2

Grill, cut side down, until nicely browned, about 2 minutes, then turn and brown the other side. Continue to cook, turning occasionally, for a total of 5 to 10 minutes, or until the exterior is browned and crisp (the interior will barely cook; that’s fine).

　　

Step 3

Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges and drizzled with a little more olive oil.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.