Radicchio and Artichoke Salad with Green Olives

With some careful foraging at the local store I ended up with a lovely combination of green items for this salad. But it's not a green salad in the usual sense, since the radicchio is in fact a kind of purplish-red. Rather, this is a purple salad with green toppings. On a warm, autumnal evening, this makes a satisfying light meal if served with some crusty bread.

I often have some seeds and nuts on hand for making granola or toasting and stirring through yogurt. Tonight's salad had a mixture of toasted fennel seed and toasted pumpkin seed atop it, which proved to be a very pleasant addition. Honey was added to the dressing in small quantities to lighten the bitterness of the radicchio leaves, which I had already soaked in ice water for the same reason.



Radicchio and Artichoke Salad with Green Olives
(serves 2 as a light supper)

1/4 small radicchio, shredded and soaked in an ice bath for 20 minutes
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
olive oil
honey
squeeze of lemon juice
salt
2 oil-packed artichoke hearts, sliced
1/3 cup pitted green olives


While your radicchio is soaking, heat a small non-stick skillet over high heat and toast the fennel seeds for a minute, until aromatic. Put the seeds onto a plate (aside) and toast the pumpkin seeds for a few minutes until they start to pop and puff out. Shake the pan regularly to help the seeds heat evenly. Add the seeds to the same plate and set aside.

Whisk together the oil, honey, and lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Drain the radicchio and shake it dry. Put the leaves in your serving bowl and add the artichoke hearts and olives. Drizzle the dressing over and toss gently. Add the toasted seeds over the top of the salad right before serving.