3,048 bitter recipes

This is one of our favorites. I add more lemon (yes, with the rind!). It's sooo good! Not bitter. I looked online to find it because I misplaced my "Award winning recipes" cookbook in the move. I use vinegar instead of wine (about half the amount) because we don't stock wine.

Broccoli rabe or Rapini is slightly more bitter tasting than broccoli. Blanching one or two minutes in boiling water then refreshing in cold or ice water locks in the bright green color. This flavorful combination of Mediterranean seasonings really matches it well. If you can't find rapini you can use ordinary broccoli with equally outstanding results.

Kransekake, a traditional Scandinavian tower cake made from ground almonds, powdered sugar, potato flour, and egg whites. A gluten-free celebration cake for Christmas and weddings.

Fall salad: crisp bitter greens with sweet sliced pears, toasted walnuts, and crumbled Gorgonzola in a walnut-oil vinaigrette. An elegant autumn salad balancing sweet, bitter, and savory.

Vietnamese coffee (ca phe sua) with strong dark-roast brew poured over sweetened condensed milk. Two ingredients, layered for that signature creamy, sweet-bitter sip.

French Belgian endive salad (Salade d'Endives) with a Dijon mustard and walnut oil vinaigrette, garnished with walnuts and fresh tomatoes. A crisp, bitter, elegant starter.

Tuscan white bean stew with spinach, bitter radicchio, garlic, anchovy, and lemon. A quick Italian-inspired pasta topping that feels both hearty and fresh.

Italian-style winter salad of shaved fennel, juicy orange slices, pink grapefruit, red onion, and bitter radicchio dressed with citrus-spiked olive oil. A bright, anise-scented cold-weather starter.

Sauteed Italian greens for piadini made with spinach, broccoli rabe (cime di rapa), and savoy cabbage, boiled tender then finished in garlic olive oil. A traditional Romagna filling.

Refined Verona-style antipasto with paper-thin prosciutto, crunchy celery root matchsticks, and Parmesan wedges on bitter radicchio for an elegant Italian starter.

Italian rice and radicchio soup with prosciutto, fresh sage, and Parmesan. A light broth-based soup where the bitter greens and salty garnishes are added fresh to each bowl.

Grapefruit mint sorbet: a bright, bitter-sweet frozen dessert infused with fresh mint syrup and pure grapefruit juice. A naturally dairy-free palate cleanser.

Sauteed curly endive with garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar piled over olive oil-tossed spaghetti. A quick vegetarian pasta with a bitter-sweet edge that keeps you coming back.

Red and green salad is a bitter Italian-style composed salad of chicory, Belgian endive, shaved fennel, radicchio, and sliced radishes with a simple olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. Crisp, sharp, and refreshing.

Easy grilled salmon over a bed of lemon-dressed radicchio, finished with a fresh raw tomato sauce. A light, fast, summery main where bitter greens and bright tomato cut the richness of the fish.

Roasted butternut squash tossed with bitter greens, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pistachios in a tangy pomegranate molasses vinaigrette. An elegant winter salad for holiday tables.