As part of the Chefs Move to Schools Initiative, I send recipes to a local elementary school, P.S. 11, on a weekly basis, depending on what’s in the school’s CSA basket. When escarole made its summer debut in last week’s basket, I provided the following recipes:
Escarole, Red Onion & Walnut Salad
Serves 4 for Dinner Sized Portions
Escarole is usually used in cooked dishes, however, the following salad with raw escarole is one of my favorite ways to eat this slightly bitter vegetable. The leaves have a great crunchiness and make an excellent and well-balanced combination when paired with the raw red onion, the toasted walnuts and the red wine vinaigrette. All of the other ingredients can be considered optional, but add to the beauty of the salad. Escarole is high in vitamin A, iron and potassium. Eating it raw, helps to maintain these properties.
Ingredients:
1 Head of Escarole
1 Cup of Thinly sliced Red Cabbage
1/2 Cup of Radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup Thinly Sliced Red Onion
2 Cups of Whole Walnuts
2 Cups of Grapes, sliced in half (substitute with raisins or currants)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Oregano leaves
1/2 Cup Shaved Parmesan-style Cheese
1/8 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Cracked Pepper to taste
1/8 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Steps:
1. Trim off the bottom of the escarole and discard any bruised leaves. Soak the remaining leaves in a large container of water and allow the dirt to float to the bottom of the container. Make sure to remove all of the dirt from the inside of the leaves. (Of course, all produce should be well rinsed, but I mention this step in particular with escarole because it tends to contain a significant amount of dirt.) Dry the leaves.
2. Cut the escarole leaves into 1 inch segments, horizontally.
3. Toast the walnuts lightly. Make sure to keep an eye on them while in the toaster or oven. They toast quickly and can get very bitter when over-toasted.
4. Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the red wine vinegar with the salt and cracked pepper. (TIP: When preparing any vinaigrette, make sure to add the salt to the acidic element of the dressing, which is usually vinegar or lemon. This allows the salt to dissolve. If added to the mixture after the olive oil is incorporated, the salt won’t dissolve, and you will notice little bits of salt in your mouth that can feel like sand) Then, wisk in the extra virgin olive oil.
5. Add the escarole, red cabbage, radishes, onion, walnuts, fresh oregano leaves and grapes to a salad bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette, enough to your desired taste.
6. Top the salad with the shaved pieces of cheese.
Escarole and White Bean Soup
Serves 4
The following recipe is my version of a classic Neapolitan escarole and white bean soup. The soup is delicious served over grilled bread and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the pancetta and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
1 head of Escarole, cleaned and chopped
1/4 cup of Pancetta, chopped finely (optional)
1/2 Cup Celery, finely chopped
1 cup of Dried Cannellini Beans (substitute with 2 15oz canned beans, preferably Eden Organic)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda (only necessary if using dried beans)
4 cups of Chicken Broth (substitute with vegetable stock)
5 Peeled Plum Tomatoes from the can, chopped into small pieces (sauce removed)
1 cup of Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Approx. 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Steps:
- Soak the cannellini beans overnight in water.
- Rinse the beans and cook in cold water with the baking soda. Do not add salt or the beans will become tough. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cover the pot. Cook until the beans are cooked through. This usually takes a little over an hour. Add salt and let the beans sit for 15 minutes.
- Then, saute the pancetta and celery with some olive oil in a saucepan.
- Add the garlic and cook until golden.
- Add the chopped escarole to the pan and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Add the chopped plum tomatoes and mix together.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Finally add the beans, reserving the cooking liquid on the side. If using canned beans, make sure to rinse the beans very well after removing from the can.
- Lower the flame. Add the parmesan cheese. Cover and let simmer the entire mixture together for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Place in bowls. Add a piece of grilled or toasted bread. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Top with some grated parmesan.
Stuffed Escarole Heads “à la Siciliana”
Serves 4 to 6
The following recipe is my version of a classic Sicilian dish called Scarola Imbottita. It’s a rather easy dish to prepare as the entire escarole head is stuffed, rather than the individual leaves. In Sicily, it is usually served as an antipasto, but I suggest serving it as a dinner main course, as I do at my Sicilian restaurant, Eolo.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. Ground Chuck Beef
3 Tbls. Pine nuts
2 Tbls. Capers
3 Tbls. Golden Raisins
3 Tbls. Black and/or Green Olives, pitted
1/2 Cup of Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley Leaves, finely chopped
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
2 Heads of Escarole
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooking string
Steps:
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour half of the olive oil into the skillet and set over medium heat, add garlic and cook for a minute or so.
- Stir in olives, raisins, and capers, half of the pine nuts and cook for a minute more.
- Add the ground beef and cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the meat is cooked about half way through. Remove the meat mixture from the heat.
- Add the chopped parsley, the cinnamon and half of the breadcrumbs and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Keep the escarole whole, but wash well in a tub of water by holding the stem and immersing the leaves in the water. Shake the escarole heads in the water until they are free from all dirt. No need to dry the escarole as the remaining water helps the cooking process.
- Leaving the stem on, press the leaves down and flatten out the escarole. In the center of the head, place half of the meat mixture.
- Tie up the escarole tightly with the cooking string and follow the same steps with the second head.
- Pour half of the remaining olive oil into a baking dish. Add two cups of water along with the escarole heads.
- Arrange the escarole in the pan, leaving space between them. Sprinkle with the remainder of the bread crumbs, pine nuts and the grated cheese.
- Finally drizzle the remaining olive all over the escarole. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until rolls are lightly caramelized and the topping is crisp and golden brown.
- Remove the string before serving.
