Sautéed escarole is a tasty side dish to enjoy almost all year round because escarole is available year-round. It’s excellent after being blanched to make it more tender, sautéed with garlic, olive oil, and chili pepper, and to make it even tastier, a good amount of pitted or whole olives will make it more flavorful. If desired, you can add raisins, pine nuts, or even breadcrumbs, but today I want to prepare it simply with olives, which also works perfectly as a filling in a delicious stuffed escarole pizza.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Sautéed Escarole with Olives
- 1 head escarole
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 chili pepper
- as needed olive oil
- as needed Taggiasca olives or similar
- as needed salt
- optional pine nuts, raisins, and capers
- optional breadcrumbs
- anchovies as desired
Tools for Preparing Sautéed Escarole with Olives
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Colander
- 1 Pot
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Cooking Spatula
Steps to Prepare Sautéed Escarole with Olives
Clean the escarole, leaf by leaf under running water, and let it drain in a colander.
Cook the chopped escarole in a pot with boiling water, first adding the tougher, outer parts and then, after a few minutes, the more tender heart. Cook until tender, times vary depending on the escarole and its age. Drain well once cooked.
In a frying pan, place a crushed clove of garlic and a chili pepper, whole if you prefer the escarole less spicy. Add the olives; I used Taggiasca olives, but Leccino or Gaeta, or even good home-made crushed olives, are fine too. Let them simmer a bit in the oil, then add the escarole, salt, and let it absorb the flavors for a few minutes.
In the oil, you can also add raisins, pine nuts, capers, and some anchovy fillets to prepare the classic Neapolitan escarole recipe. If you want to make it more delicious, you can instead add some breadcrumbs. I didn’t add anything else because I used it to fill a quick focaccia with simple ingredients we all have at home.
