By cooking the escarole Neapolitan style, you will not only have a rich and tasty side dish but also a filling for the classic Neapolitan escarole pizza or various rustic pies.
I simply prepare them by blanching the escarole leaves in a little water to soften them, then sauté them in a soffritto of oil, garlic, and Gaeta black olives, then adding pine nuts and salted capers. This is my completely vegan version but, in many Neapolitan families, the recipe can be enriched by adding anchovies or even raisins for a sweet and sour version.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s cook and eat!!
See also:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 2 heads smooth escarole
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste Gaeta olives (pitted)
- to taste pine nuts
- to taste salted capers
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pitter
- 1 Colander
Steps
To prepare the Neapolitan style sautéed escarole, start by cleaning the escarole by removing the outer leaves and cutting the heads at the base to keep only the most tender part of the leaves. If they are too large, I recommend cutting them in half.
Wash the escarole thoroughly under running water while in a tall pot bring slightly salted water to a boil in which you will blanch the escarole before sauté it in the pan.
Once the water boils, put in the escarole leaves and let them cook for a few minutes, without a lid, turning them as they soften for even cooking.
Once wilted, drain them and leave them in a colander to lose excess water.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan and sauté a clove of garlic along with the previously pitted olives.
At this point, add the escarole to the pan and let them flavor, also adding the pine nuts and desalted capers.
Let it cook for about ten minutes, turning them to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan and seasoning with salt if necessary.
Once ready, serve the Neapolitan style sautéed escarole still hot 😉.
