Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad
Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad highlights the delicious texture and slightly bitter flavor of escarole in a very simply-prepared dressing with thin toasts adding an extra crunchy element. This recipe is a family favorite of Vito’s; he learned to prepare it from his great-aunt Evelyn and it’s a great example of the simple, rustic fare of Italy’s cucina povera. Don’t be afraid of the garlic in the dressing, it is mellowed out by the other components. Remember to serve Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad quickly after it’s been assembled as to preserve the texture of the toasts and escarole leaves; waiting too long will cause both to go limp. Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad makes a refreshing light lunch on its own or perhaps with a poached egg, don’t forget to have a bit of crusty bread with sweet butter on the side. At dinner, serve Family-style Rustic Escarole Salad as a first course before a pasta, such as Sicilian Style Cauliflower Pasta, or grilled meats, such as Miso Sherry Skirt Steak, and enjoy a flavorful and satisfying dinner.
Total Time: 20 minutes. Serves 2.
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Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad
Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad is a vibrant variety of flavors, textures and colors. Slightly bitter, deep green and pale-yellow escarole, clad in a lemon and olive oil dressing, is joined by sliced almonds and pine nuts, lightly toasted to heighten their scent and flavor, and sliced hard-boiled eggs, which add their delicate texture, color and protein, in a delicious, light salad. Suitable for either a lunch entrée or as a dinner appetizer prior to a rich main course, like Southern Inspired Pork Stew, Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad is quite irresistible, especially when paired with a chilled, crisp dry white wine.
Total Time: 30 minutes. Yields 2 salads.
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Beans and Escarole
Beans and Escarole an Italian classic and a long-time family favorite. As a side note, the Dutch oven pictured is vintage 1940’s Magnalite made from re-purposed post-war aluminum; it was used by my Mom for decades and now enjoys continued use in our kitchen.
Escarole, with its leaves of bright green and white, heart of yellow-green and white tender new leaves and lightly-bitter taste, combines with creamy cannellini beans and the panache of pancetta to make Beans and Escarole a cold-weather dinner favorite. Any leftovers should be refrigerated, then reheated gently and consumed within a day or two of preparation.
Select a fresh, firm head of escarole, avoid wilted ones or heads where the leaves are falling off the base, a sign that the escarole is not fresh. Cannellini beans are the traditional bean used in Beans and Escarole, but feel free to substitute small white beans or great northern beans. Using canned beans, as we’ve done here, makes for a relatively quick preparation. You can also start with dried beans which requires a little bit of planning ahead, see the note below regarding their preparation. Prepare Beans and Escarole with a Sicilian Orange Salad starter for a simple and satisfying Italian dinner.
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 hours, 20 minutes Serves: 4
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