Alessandra Bianchi’s mother probably wouldn’t approve of her conchiglie ripiene al forno. The dish—giant pasta shells stuffed with a blend of vegetables and ricotta cheese, all doused with creamy besciamella—originates in Tuscany, where Bianchi and her mother grew up. And to be clear—Bianchi considers her mother an exceptionally good cook.

In Tuscany, the vegetable of choice in those shells is cavolo nero, or what we call dinosaur or Tuscan kale. But when Bianchi moved north to study in Italy’s Veneto region—where kale is less favored—she needed to fend for herself. And here, radicchio in all its many and varied forms is the vegetable of choice. For just about everything.

Which is how Bianchi came to create conchiglie ripiene con radicchio al forno, or baked pasta shells stuffed with radicchio. The dish she’d offered to teach me on this chilly night in northern Italy.

It’s hard to underestimate this region’s devotion to this crisp yet light and slightly bitter vegetable. Technically speaking, at least five varieties are grown here. But radicchio is highly terroir-sensitive. Meaning crops grown even a mile or so apart can have wildly different characteristics. And folks here take that VERY seriously.

Bianchi—who even pickles radicchio—eats it at least once a day in season. And on this day it was. So she combined it with shallots and olive oil to create a rich mixture she stuffed into half-cooked pasta shells. Arranged in a pan, those shells then were doused with besciamella—the Italian version of béchamel—and grated Parmesan cheese before being baked until... Well, until luscious.

I grew up on red-sauced stuffed shells filled with ricotta and spinach. Those were great. But these were stuffed shells for grownups. Creamy, rich and balanced in texture and taste, all due to that star ingredient. I have no doubt Bianchi’s mother’s kale-stuffed shells are amazing. But I loved Bianchi’s northern take.

J.M. Hirsch

J.M. Hirsch is a James Beard Award-winning food and travel writer and editorial director of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street. He is the former national food editor for The Associated Press and has written six books, including “Freezer Door Cocktails: 75 Cocktails That Are Ready When You Are.”