The country-style chicory shoots salad is a rich, tasty side dish with bold flavors, but also fresh and crunchy, perfect as a main dish.
It is a very simple recipe to prepare; except for the potatoes which need to be cooked and grilled, everything else is added raw.
Chicory shoots are the sprouts of Catalonia chicory, they have a characteristic slightly bitter taste that may or may not be appreciated.
To make them curl and lose a bit of this bitterness, just leave them in cold water for at least half an hour.
I don’t mind this aftertaste, so I used them immediately after washing them; naturally, do not throw away the rest of the Catalonia chicory, but use it as boiled greens or to fill savory pies or other dishes.
Besides boiling and sautéing it, I also made some chicory cordon bleu and filled a stuffed pizza with chicory
The salad is perfect for any occasion, even during the Easter period. Naturally, you can vary the recipe by removing or adding some ingredients according to your tastes; it’s also perfect as a rustic Christmas dish.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients for the chicory shoots salad
- 7 oz Chicory shoots
- 10 Black olives
- 2 medium-sized potatoes
- 4 Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- to taste Anchovies in oil
- to taste Salt
- to taste Olive oil
Preparation for the salad
Clean and wash the chicory shoots well, slice them lengthwise into not too thin strips, and place them in cold water to make them curl.
Peel the potatoes, cut them in half, and boil them in salted water for 10 minutes; they must remain firm and compact. Drain them, let them cool slightly, then slice them again into 1/2-inch slices and grill them on both sides in a hot pan.Drain and slice the sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips, also drain the excess oil from the anchovies. Drain and spin dry the chicory shoots, place them in a bowl, add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of oil, mix and blend everything well.
Arrange some grilled potato slices at the bottom of a serving dish, distribute the dressed chicory shoots salad, complete with more potatoes and drained anchovies, then serve the salad; if you prefer, add a sprinkle of pepper.
Tips
Chicory shoots are available at the market until May; they are also widely used during the Easter period, dressed with different ingredients or just with anchovies, the classic Roman recipe.
Once dressed, chicory shoots should be consumed immediately; if there are leftovers, they should be stored in the refrigerator and dressed subsequently before serving.
