Sport Hill Farm has escarole!
Escarole (that’s ‘scarole, in Bronx Italian) is a favorite of mine from childhood. Escarole is a broad, curly-leaf endive, high in vitamin A, iron, and potassium.
For the past few years, I’ve been getting mine over the border since escarole is not as popular a vegetable here in CT as it is in NY. It seems that my incessant complaining has paid off and CT farmers are growing it!
Perhaps escarole’s lack of popularity is because it is a bitter green and somewhat tough. Perhaps folks don’t know how to prepare it. I generally use my default greens recipe.
Here’s how to braise escarole:
- Clean the escarole, one leaf at at time. The soil can get between the leaves.
- Cut it into strips, rinse, and give it a whirl in the salad spinner.
- In a large pot, caramelize some garlic in olive oil.
- Add some chicken broth (like 1/8-1/4 cup).
- Add the cleaned escarole.
- Sprinkle on a pinch of salt.
- Toss the greens with tongs in the liquid.
- Cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes—escarole takes longer than other greens.
You could serve it just like that. You could also sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese. (I like to use the Pleasant Valley sheep cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook—it’s very similar to Pecorino Romano.)
Or, you could make escarole and bean soup.
- Braise the escarole following the method above using a bit more chicken broth.
- In sauce pan, caramelize some more garlic in olive oil.
- Add about 1/4 cup chicken broth.
- Add 2 cups of pre-cooked canellini beans. (You can used canned, although fresh are far tastier. Good luck finding these locally—and if you find them, let me know where!)
- Cook until the beans are hot.
If you like a creamy soup rather than a broth, you can use an immersion blender. - Combine the simmering beans with the simmering escarole.
- Serve with a crusty Italian bread.
Buon appetito!
I’ve always had it in soups, but I would love to try it braised, too – thanks for the recipe!
I once made a salad with escarole, sliced pears and a dressing made with Boursin cheese. It was good – kinda like lettuce but a little chewier.
My husband’s family eats it with beans. My husband makes this for himself. Too bitter for me.
They say it “sckha-dole” as in “schkha-dole and beans”. When I saw it written out for the first time I didn’t know it was the same word. LOL.
@Christine: That is so funny–that IS how my family said it back in the day!
@Jen: Truth be known, I never have consumed it raw (beyond a nibble here and there), but I’d be willing to try your salad.
I like escarole and other bitter greens cooked with just a little bit of cured pork — like a nice pancetta. Mince and sautee with a bit of garlic and olive oil. I guess finding local, organic pancetta without a lot of additives would be a hard thing to do!
Another way I have prepared them is to steam them until wilted (or just cook in a hot pan with a tablespoon of water and then lid on) and then season with a splash of red wine vinegar, some salt and some minced raw garlic. Seriously.
I can’t resist — another way to prepare bitter greens that I like is to cook the greens together with a short pasta like orecchiette or rigatoni, drain and then dress with sauteed garlic, olive oil and a bit of crushed red pepper (or pickled red peperoncini if you can find them). Garnish with chopped parsley and grated cheese. True story! Just make sure to season the cooking water with enough salt — greens always taste a bit strange to me if the water is under-salted.