How to clean and prepare radicchio? (Kako ocistiti i pripremiti radic?)

Radish is a leafy vegetable with a characteristic bitter taste. It can be eaten raw or thermally processed.

Washing radicchio 

1. Remove the outer leaves if they are wilted, damaged or soiled.

2. Wash the radish well under cold running water, especially between the leaves where soil can be retained.

Radicchio cutting

3. Cut off the lower, harder part of the root. If you use a whole head, you can cut it in half or cut it into quarters. For the salad, you can leave the leaves whole or roughly chop them.

Alleviating bitterness

4. If the radicchio is too bitter for you, you can soak the cut leaves in cold water for 10-15 minutes and then drain them well. This can slightly reduce the bitterness. 

Preparation for eating

5. If using a smaller head, cut it in half lengthwise, through the root. Then cut each half into strips about 1 cm wide.

6. If you want larger pieces, cut each half into quarters.

7. For leaves that are used individually, remove the hard center and discard. Cut the leaves into smaller pieces. Do not cut too finely as the leaves may lose their shape during further preparation.

How to choose a radicchio in the store?

1. Choose heads that are solid, compact and heavy for their size.

2. The leaves should be fresh, crisp and intense red or burgundy in color, with white veins.

3. Avoid plants with wilted, yellowed, slimy or damaged leaves.

4. The lower part of the root should be firm, without signs of rotting and unpleasant smell.

5. If you buy radicchio that has already been cut and packed, check that the leaves are not darkened, wet or stuck together.

6. It is best to choose a firm and fresh head without visible damage.

The use of fresh roots for:

1. Salads

2. Sandwiches

3. Burgers

4. Tortillas

5. Bruschetta

6. Vegetable salads

7. Fruit salads

8. Stuffed vegetable rolls

9. As a base for appetizers

10. As a side dish with meat and fish

11. For decoration of cold dishes

Radic je lisnato povrce karakteristicnog gorkastog ukusa. Moze se jesti sirov ili termicki obradjen.

Pranje radica

1. Odvojite spoljasnje listove ako su uveli, osteceni ili zaprljani. 

2. Radic dobro operite pod hladnom tekucom vodom, posebno izmedju listova gde se moze zadrzati zemlja.

Secenje radica

3. Odsecite donji, tvrdji deo korena. Ako koristite celu glavicu, mozete je prepoloviti ili iseci na cetvrtine. Za salatu listove mozete ostaviti cele ili ih grubo iseckati.

Ublazavanje gorcine

4. Ako vam je radic previse gorak, isecene listove mozete potopiti u hladnu vodu na 10-15 minuta, a zatim ih dobro ocediti. Ovo moze blago ublaziti gorcinu.

Priprema za jelo

5. Ako koristite manju glavicu, presecite je na pola po duzini, kroz koren. Zatim svaku polovinu isecite na trake sirine oko 1 cm.

6. Ako zelite krupnije komade, svaku polovinu isecite na cetvrtine.

7. Za listove koji se koriste pojedinacno, odstranite tvrdi sredisnji deo i bacite. Listove isecite na manje komade. Nemojte seci previse sitno jer listovi mogu izgubiti oblik tokom dalje pripreme.

Kako odabrati radic u prodavnici?

1. Birajte glavice koje su cvrste, kompaktne i teske u odnosu na svoju velicinu.

2. Listovi treba da budu svezi, hrskavi i intenzivne crvene ili bordo boje, sa belim zilama.

3. Izbegavajte radic sa uvelim, pozutelim, sluzavim ili ostecenim listovima.

4. Donji deo korena treba da bude cvrst, bez znakova truljenja i neprijatnog mirisa.

5. Ako kupujete radic koji je vec isecen i upakovan, proverite da listovi nisu potamneli, vlazni ili slepljeni.

6. Najbolje je odabrati cvrstu i svezu glavicu bez vidljivih ostecenja.

Upotreba svezeg radica za:

1. Salate

2. Sendvice

3. Pljeskavice 

4. Tortilje

5. Bruskete

6. Povrtne salate

7. Vocne salate

8. Punjene rolnice od povrca

9. Kao podlogu za predjela

10. Kao prilog uz meso i ribu

11. Za dekoraciju hladnih jela