Recipe: Signe Johansen's Radicchio, Pink Grapefruit and Gorgonzola Salad

Signe Johansen's newest release, SOLO: The Joy of Cooking For One  is all about treating yourself to a different mindset towards cooking for only you - exploring how cooking solo can be one of life's simplest and most therapeutic pleasures.

"Full of bold colours, textures and flavours, this is a super salad to try in the midwinter months when citrus fruits are at their best and you need a change from soup. You can use dried grapefruit or orange ‘crisps’ (shop-bought or homemade in a low oven) instead of fresh grapefruit for an extra crunch, but juicy citrus fruits really complete this dish" says Signe, of this winter salad dish.

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 radicchio head

1 pink grapefruit

small wedge of gorgonzola cheese (I just go by eye)

small handful of toasted almonds

leaves from 1 sprig of thyme

FOR THE DRESSING

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry or wine vinegar of choice

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp plain or acacia honey

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Wash the radicchio and either peel the leaves all the way off or give the head a rough chop.

2. Place the leaves in a shallow pasta bowl or on a dinner plate, then peel the grapefruit, and slice the flesh (thickly enough that the slices hold their shape) and scatter it on top.

3. Place little bites of gorgonzola around the salad.

4. Scatter over the almonds and thyme leaves.

5. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a jam jar or cup (if using a jam jar, just seal and
give it a really good shake to emulsify the vinaigrette) and taste.

6. I like a very punchy, vinegar-rich dressing for this salad but if you prefer a more traditional vinaigrette, simply add a spoonful or two more olive oil until you have the consistency and flavour you like.

7. Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad and keep any spare for dunking bread into.

VARIATIONS:

Radicchio also marries well with pear and apple and, if you’re a fan of bitter flavours, blood orange.

Use other leaves such as chicory, frisée, watercress or rocket, if you prefer.

Lightly grill the radicchio if you fancy a warmer salad: chop it and lace it with a little oil then grill or quickly pan-fry it.

Recipe extracted from  SOLO: The Joy of Cooking For One  by Signe Johansen, out 25th January 2018.