Pan-Stewed Escarole (or escarole endive), grandma Lina’s recipe, a simple and tasty side dish from Italian tradition.

A classic, healthy, and flavorful side dish, perfect to accompany meat or fish main courses.

There’s a moment, in the heart of winter, when the kitchen becomes a refuge, and the whispered recipes come to life in the mist of steam. Here, no flamboyance is needed, but the essence.

This stewed escarole is not just a side dish; it’s a canvas painted with the austere and generous flavors of the land, but for me, it is above all the loving face of my mother-in-law Lina. It was her dedicated specialty, her welcome that I found on the table every time I went down to Naples. She knew my passion, and each time she prepared it with dedication and outdid herself.

The endive, with its leaves oscillating between emerald green and ivory white, faces the heat of the pan, where the extra virgin olive oil becomes a bearer of memory.

The aroma is the first deception: the garlic, crushed but unbeaten, yields its pungent spirit, and the chili pepper, small and fiery, promises a thrill.

Here come the black Gaeta olives, fleshy and brackish, dancing with the sweet and almost mystical embrace of raisins, swollen with moisture. The golden pine nuts, crunchy splinters of the forest, seal the pact of a complex flavor that cleanses the palate and warms the soul.

When, finally, the escarole yields, transforming into a very soft and glistening mass, it is ready. And at that point, there was no greater joy than dipping generous slices of rustic bread into that flavorful base – a simple gesture, but with an goodness that is priceless.

It is not just a dish, but a story that melts in the mouth, telling the elegant frugality and unconditional love of my mother-in-law Lina.