Sautéed escarole is a very simple side dish, a straightforward Italian recipe that even my grandmother used to prepare. Escarole is inexpensive and can also be used to make fillings for savory pies. Cooked escarole is a light side dish and therefore great even for those on a diet. This version is very simple, but you might want to add olives or a few anchovy fillets. In Veneto, escarole is mostly consumed raw in salads, but talking to my greengrocer, he mentioned that for a few years now, it’s also been requested to make recipes where it’s cooked or asked for along with chard and Swiss chard for a mix of boiled greens. Now let’s see how to prepare sautéed escarole, and if you try it, let me know. Barbara
I also recommend trying:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 head escarole (endive)
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste chili pepper
How to make sautéed escarole
Let’s start preparing sautéed escarole. Clean the escarole, remove the outermost leaves, cut off the end of the core, and then detach the leaves one by one.
Wash the leaves well under running water to remove any soil residue, and once washed, let them drain to dry, you can cut the leaves in half if you want.
Pour some extra virgin olive oil into a large pan, add the previously cleaned garlic clove, and chili pepper. Place on low heat and let it infuse for a few minutes, then add the escarole leaves.
Cover with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook the escarole evenly, season with salt, and finish cooking.
Escarole cooks without extra water thanks to its natural water content. If needed, continue cooking without the lid for the last 10 minutes so that the escarole can dry.
At the end of cooking, adjust the salt, remove the garlic clove, and serve the escarole hot.
How to store cooked escarole
Store it in the refrigerator for 2/3 days
