Coleman Farm’s Treviso with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Saba

Name: Coleman Farm’s Treviso with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Saba
Ingredients: 2/3 cup walnuts; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil; 3 heads Treviso; 1 shallot, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1/2 pound Gorgonzola, at room temperature; About 2 teaspoons or more saba (see Sources); 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

January 24, 2012

Local farmer Bill Coleman specializes in all sorts of exotic herbs and greens, such as curry leaf, epazote, purslane, and fenugreek. When he can, Bill travels to faraway places to source unusual herbs and spices and little-known fruits and vegetables. He carries home the precious seeds and plants them at his farm near Santa Barbara, providing a wonderful source of inspiration for us lucky local chefs. It’s always exciting to see what he will, literally, unearth next. A few years back, Treviso, a beautiful elongated relative of radicchio from the north of Italy, was his plant of the moment. Bill Coleman’s Treviso practically dared me to come up with a dish that would show off its striking magenta leaves and complex, slightly bitter flavor. I paired the Treviso with pungent Gorgonzola and drizzled both with sweet saba, a syrup made by reducing grape must with sugar. This salad-meets-cheese course is the perfect beginning (or ending) to an autumn meal.

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