Lamb and radicchio with cinnamon and star anise

Agnello con radicchio
The extraordinary thing about radicchio is that it can be served as a salad or boiled and baked as other leafy vegetables such as spinach. In fact, the bitter spicy flavour mellows with preparation.

This recipe combines lamb and radicchio with spices like cinnamon sticks and star anise, giving an otherwise ordinary Italian dish a nice oriental twist.

Ingredients
800 g lamb filet, culotte steak (top sirloin) or cutlets (4 portions)
2 slender heads of radicchio salad
2 red onions
4 cloves of garlic
4 sticks of cinnamon
4 star anise
4 sprigs of rosemary
2 dl balsamic vinegar
2 dl olive oil
sugar, salt and pepper

Preparation
Fry the meat until brown on both sides.
Grease four large pieces of aluminium foil with olive oil.
Rinse the radicchio, cut it in quarters and arrange the salad in the middle of each of the four pieces of foil.
Top each radicchio with thinly sliced onion, a clove of garlic, a spring of rosemary, a stick of cinnamon and an anise star.
Fold up the sides of the foil and pour ½ dl of oil and vinegar over the ingredients adding a little bit of sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the browned meat on top of the salad and close the foil tightly around each portion.
Roast the lamb in a preheated oven (200°C/375°F) for 20 minutes.
Serve the packages as they are, or slice the meat and arrange it with the sauce on radicchio and spices before serving.