BI

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 Contents
Introduction
1

one Born to be Bitter 9

two Liquid Bitter 53

three Pungently Bitter 97

four Subtly Bitter 135

five Surprisingly Bitter 175

Dark, Forbidden,
six
and Very Bitter 211

247
Epilogue

248
Acknowledgments

251
Bibliography

257
Index

vi / B I TT E R / vii
I love the winey hue that radicchio gives the rice in this dish, and the way its bitterness
balances the pumpkin’s sweetness. Now I know that using the word pumpkin reveals
my birthplace, but I just can’t get my head around “squash.” However, so I don’t confuse
you, use a firm, dry pumpkin (or squash) like Hubbard or kabocha, which has a mild
chestnut flavor.
I prefer to make risotto in small batches. This will stretch to serve four as a starter,
depending on the rest of your meal; you can also double the recipe. Do use homemade
stock, as it will make all the difference to the final result. You could also use a well-flavored
vegetable stock to make this dish vegetarian. You’ll probably only need 2 cups / 500 ml of
the stock, but it will depend on your rice, so it is better to have a little extra just in case.

Radicchio and Serves 2

Pumpkin Risotto
21⁄2 cups / 625 ml Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the
chicken stock, heat so the stock barely simmers.
preferably homemade
In another saucepan, melt half the butter over medium heat.
¼ cup / 2 ounces / 60 g
unsalted butter Add the shallot and cook until translucent. Add the diced
pumpkin and stir to coat the pieces with the butter. Season
1 shallot, finely chopped
with salt, and cook until the pumpkin starts to soften slightly
6 ounces / 170 g at the edges, about 5 minutes.
pumpkin, cut into
1⁄2-inch / 1-cm dice, Meanwhile, cut the radicchio leaves in half lengthwise, then
about 1¼ cups crosswise into ¼-inch / 6-mm strips. You should have about
Sea salt 4 cups / 1 l.

5¼ ounces / 150 g Add the rice to the pan, stirring to warm the grains and coat
radicchio leaves, them in butter. Stir in the radicchio and continue stirring
rinsed and trimmed
until it wilts and changes color. Pour in the wine and cook,
1⁄2 cup / 31⁄2 ounces / stirring until it evaporates; season with black pepper. Now
100 g risotto rice add a ladleful of hot stock and keep stirring the simmering
(Vialone nano, Arborio,
rice constantly until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.
or Carnaroli)
Continue adding the stock, one ladleful at a time, when the
2 tablespoons white previous liquid is almost completely absorbed.
wine or dry vermouth

Freshly ground After 20 to 25 minutes, the pumpkin should be cooked and the
black pepper rice should be creamy and cooked but still slightly al dente.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit for 2 minutes.
Parmesan cheese
Check the seasoning, stir in the remaining half of the butter,
and serve in warm bowls. Grate Parmesan over the top.

26 / B I TT E R
 Mussels steamed in white wine is a classic dish, but beer is a good alternative. The
natural sweetness of mussels is balanced by a lager or an ale, and the chile adds a touch
of heat. You can just add the coriander seeds to the beer, but as it is not strained they’ll
end up in your teeth; that’s why I wrap them in cheesecloth or put them in a tea ball.
Mussels are usually sold already cleaned and only require a rinse under cold
water before cooking. If they still have their “beard” attached, pull the beard and cut it
off with a small knife. Scrape off any barnacles attached to the shell, then rinse. Check
the mussels after rinsing to make sure they are all firmly closed. Discard any that do
not close after a tap on the counter, or that have broken shells.

Mussels in Beer Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter

2 tablespoons / 1 ounce / In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When
30 g unsalted butter melted, add the onion, fennel, and chile. Cook, stirring from
1 onion, finely chopped time to time, until the vegetables soften and begin to caramelize.

1⁄2 small fennel bulb, Add the beer, coriander, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and boil
finely chopped, for 2 minutes, then add the cleaned mussels. Stir, then cover
fronds set aside
and cook for about 5 minutes, giving the pan a couple of
1⁄2 serrano chile shakes, until the mussels open; discard any that don’t open.
with seeds While the mussels are cooking, chop the fennel fronds.
1 cup / 250 ml lager or
pale ale Remove the coriander seeds and bay leaf from the pan. Season
the mussels with salt and pepper. Ladle the mussels and liquid
1 tablespoon coriander
into warm bowls, sprinkle with the chopped fronds, and serve
seeds, crushed and
placed in a tea ball or with crusty bread.
wrapped in cheesecloth

1 fresh bay leaf

2¼ pounds / 1 kg cleaned
mussels (see headnote)

1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground
black pepper

Crusty bread, to serve

Liquid Bitter / 61
Campari and orange juice is an excellent aperitif, and a good introduction to bitter. The
same combination, though in different proportions to the cocktail, can be frozen into
a granita. The advantage of this kind of ice is that you don’t need any fancy machines;
you simply need to stir the mixture during the freezing process to break up the ice
crystals. The result is a granular ice. If you prefer more bitterness, try the grapefruit
variation below.

Campari Granita Serves 4 to 6

1 cup / 250 ml strained Stir the orange juice, Campari, and lemon juice together, then
freshly squeezed pour into an 8-inch / 20-cm square metal pan. Place in the
orange juice
freezer. Stir the mixture with a spoon every hour or so, to break
1⁄2 cup / 125 ml Campari it up into large ice crystals. If you forget to stir the mixture and
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly it freezes solid, don’t panic. To return the granita it to its granu-
squeezed lemon juice lar texture, break it into chunks and pulse briefly in the food
processor. To serve, spoon the granita into chilled glasses.

Variation Replace the orange juice with freshly squeezed

grapefruit juice and add 2 tablespoons / 25 g superfine (caster)
sugar.

86 / B I TT E R
BI
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Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer McLagan
Photographs copyright © 2014 by Aya Brackett

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of
the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC,
New York, a Penguin Random House Company.
www.crownpublishing.com
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trademarks of Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with

the publisher.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-516-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774-517-4

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