My blog couldn’t miss escarole with olives and capers not only because it’s a light side dish but also because it’s typical of Neapolitan cuisine, but here with much less oil. This recipe dates back a long time ago when I was gifted a lot of escarole as part of a collaboration with Love my Salad and I had to use it up. In fact, instead of using smooth escarole, I used a special variety of curly escarole called Avral: delicious!
Escarole with olives and capers is a delicious vegan side dish and very simple to prepare. It can be enjoyed as soon as it’s ready, warm, or even when it’s cooled. It’s another example of how easy it is to bring vegetables to the table prepared in a tasty way!
Other recipes with escarole:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs smooth escarole (or curly)
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1.4 oz Gaeta olives (pitted)
- to taste salted capers (a handful)
- 0.5 oz pine nuts
- to taste salt
- Total Points = 8 WW points
- Points per serving = 4 WW points
Tools
- Knife
- Pot
- Pan
Steps
First, remove the hard part of the escarole, separate the leaves, and wash them thoroughly by immersing them in cold water 3-4 times, changing the water each time. Boil the escarole in a large pot without adding extra water, just a pinch of salt: the escarole should only wilt and not cook completely. Once done, drain the escarole well and let it cool. Save some of the cooking water.
Prepare the other ingredients: slice the garlic, halve the olives, rinse and squeeze the capers, and toast the pine nuts in a pan for a minute. The escarole leaves can be left whole or, once cooled enough, you can cut them into pieces. This is especially useful when the escarole is used to stuff savory pies.
In a non-stick pan, sauté the garlic in a teaspoon of oil, and without letting it brown too much, add the escarole a little at a time. Let it season for a few minutes, adding some of the cooking water if it seems too dry.
When the escarole has become tender, add the olives, capers, and the second teaspoon of oil. Salt lightly (the capers are already quite salty) and let it season for another 5 minutes or so. At the end of cooking, the escarole should be soft but not mushy: it should remain a bit crunchy.
At this point, just add the pine nuts and our escarole with olives and capers is ready to be served at the table. In Naples, raisins are often added, especially to prepare fillings, but in that case, you will need to count the extra Weight Watchers points.
Here at home, we really like this side dish and I make it often. Have you ever made it? I recommend trying it and then let me know if you liked it!
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How long does it keep?
Keep it in a container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. If you want, you can also just boil the escarole and freeze it in a bag, well-drained. Once thawed, you can sauté it in a pan with olives and capers!
