Today we talk about sautéed escarole, a delicious and versatile side dish to pair with meat, fish; or to use as filling for sandwiches, pizzas, and savory pies. In my household, there’s not just one way to serve them; sometimes, to the basic recipe with olives, I also add pine nuts, raisins, and crushed walnuts and other times, capers and anchovies in oil. The sautéed escarole, besides being very tasty, is also easy to prepare and can be enjoyed hot or cold.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Fall, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs escarole (endive)
- 3.5 oz Gaeta black olives
- 3.5 oz green olives
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste fine salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 10 salted capers (optional)
Steps
Remove all wilted leaves from the escarole; then, wash all the others thoroughly, removing dirt and any other impurities; finally, break them into three parts.
Transfer the leaves into a large, tall pot with half a glass of water. Cover the pot and, on high heat, let them stew without adding anything else. This step is crucial to remove part of the typical bitter taste of this vegetable.
After five minutes, using a fork, turn the escarole in the pot, bringing the leaves from the bottom to the top to allow them to stew evenly.
When you notice that the initial volume has almost halved (note, the escarole should not cook completely but only reduce in volume) turn off the heat and drain all the liquid present in the pot. It will take about 10/12 minutes in total.
Meanwhile, pit the black and green olives. Rinse the capers under running water and pat them dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
In a large pan, sauté the olives, optional capers, and a clove of garlic with skin in extra virgin olive oil, on low heat.
At this point, if you like, you can also add two or three fillets of anchovy in oil which will completely dissolve in the cooking oil.
When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the escarole (make sure there is no cooking liquid), mix well, salt (if you have added capers or anchovies in oil, taste to avoid ending up with a dish that is too salty), mix again, cover and let cook for about ten to fifteen minutes, checking the cooking and stirring occasionally.
The escarole is cooked when the white ribs are soft to taste.
Extra Idea. Another way to season the escarole is to add, besides the olives, some raisins (one scant tablespoon is more than enough), crushed walnuts, and pine nuts, as desired.
