Escarole

If you grew up in an Italian or Greek family, chances are you ate escarole. Maybe you didn't love the way your mother or grandmother cooked it (boiled? yuck!) - but now you know better and can enjoy this delicious and incredibly healthy vegetable.

Escarole is actually a member of the Endive family and its taste is similar to radicchio (at half the price!). High in folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A and K, escarole can be eaten raw or gently cooked. The darker outer leaves have a distinctly different taste than the inside paler leaves - and so it is almost like getting two veggies for the price of one!

Our favorite way of cooking escarole is to sautee it in olive oil (with garlic, scallions, leeks, onions, whatever you prefer) until it is cooked down and soft. We often add hot peppers and/or tomatoes (sometimes shrimp or tofu) and always add a little salt and pepper. We then toss it with some cooked pasta, using a cup or so of the pasta water to make a nice sauce. If we are feeling adventurous, we add some basil or pesto for a special treat.

Delicious! Nutritious! Make your grandmother proud!

Of course there are many other ways of preparing escarole. Include it in a salad. Add it to soup. Make escarole with white bean (a traditional favorite!). Check out some of the recipes we enjoy the most!


Click here for MARTHA STEWART'S ESCAROLE RECIPES

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT ESCAROLE SALAD

• Tear the escarole into bite size pieces. (The darker the leaves, the more bitter the flavor. You can remove the outermost leaves if you prefer.)
• Soak the escarole in a bowl of cool water for 10 minutes to crisp it. Drain and spin dry.
• Add almonds, hazelnuts, or cashews – raw, toasted or even candied.
• Apples make a great addition to an escarole salad, adding a sweetness to complement the bitter of the green.
• Soft goat cheese (like a Chevre, brie, Camembert or feta) is an excellent addition to this salad.
• Include some red leaf lettuce or radicchio for a little color.
• What about some hard boiled eggs? Bacon?
• You can have your escarole salad raw or wilted (see below).
• You can use just about any dressing you prefer – the escarole is strong enough to carry a heavy dressing, although it really just needs a good vinaigrette.

To make a warm escarole salad

Heat 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet. Add leeks, scallions, garlic or shallots and cook lightly. Stir in 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, then add escarole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Or make a raw escarole salad and top with a warm oil and vinegar dressing.

ESCAROLE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEANS

Bon Appétit  | October 1998

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 Italian sausages (about 3 pounds), casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 large head escarole, chopped (about 10 cups)
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté sausage until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 6 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl, leaving drippings in pot. Reduce heat to medium; add onion to pot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add prosciutto and sauté 1 minute. Mix in garlic and crushed red pepper. Add escarole and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook 2 minutes. Add beans, stock and sausage and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

ESCAROLE OVER PASTA

• Cook pasta.
• In a heavy skillet, heat olive oil and lightly cook chopped garlic, scallions, leeks or onions (chose one or two).
• If desired, add minced hot peppers.
• Add escarole (chopped), toss to coat with oil, and allow it to cook down (10 minutes or so).
• If desired, add any or all of the following: chopped tomatoes, black olives, shrimp, tofu, cooked chicken.
• Season with salt, pepper, and basil. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, add a dollop or two of pesto right before the escarole is cooked.
• Combine pasta, escarole, and 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss to combine all ingredients. Add salt if needed. Serve immediately with grated cheese.

Wilted Escarole Side Dish

This came from Radical Roots Farm Share members Jim and Liz:

Jim and I really enjoyed last week's basket. Our favorite recipe used both the escarole and the garlic scapes. This recipe was so good we halved it and had it twice. Absolutely delish! 

Serves 4- may easily be halved for 2

• 2-3Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2c. chopped bacon or prosciutto
• 1/2c chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic or 5-6 garlic scapes, chopped
• 1/4c balsamic vinegar
• 2Tbls brown sugar
• 1 head escarole, outer leaves and core removed and chopped

In large sauté pan or cast iron pot, sauté bacon in olive oil until crisp, add onion, garlic or scapes and cook until tender. Add brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and cook 1 min, add escarole, stir and cook, covered, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, serve with fresh lemon.

Note: they say you can also throw in a can of cannelloni beans and chicken into this (right when you add the greens) and make a meal of it. Haven't tried it yet though.

An email from a customer at Farmers Market, with a link to a delicious sounding recipe using Escarole!

We met at the Rutland farmers market a few weeks back and in buying some of your DELICIOUS escarole I told you of my plan to make an escarole brie fettuccine. Wow was it so yummy! Here is the link to the online recipe I used. I am partial to the Blythesdale farm's Brie, so I would recommend using it for this recipe. I don't eat meat so I did not use pancetta (although I'm sure it would have been really yummy). When I make this recipe again I plan to roughly chopped pecans and some chopped and sautéed portabella in it's place. I think these additions will make the nutty flavor of the brie really pop!

Love your farm!

Shanna