Escarole

A member of the chicory family, escarole is a broad-leaved endive with broad, pale green leaves that look similar to a leafy butter lettuce. It is less bitter in flavor than the other varieties in the chicory family. You will see it in your share two times in the later part of the season.

Cooking Tips

Escarole can be eaten lightly cooked or raw in salads. The outer and darker green leaves have a stronger flavor that lend better to cooked dishes, and the inner and lighter green leaves have a more mild flavor great for fresh salads. A favorite and simple preparation is to sauté the leaves lightly (3-5 minutes) in bacon grease or butter and season with salt and pepper. It can also be added to soups like a hearty Italian white bean and escarole soup. For a fresh approach try using the lighter leaves for salad by gently tearing them into smaller pieces, tossing with vinaigrette or other dressing, and add any additional veggies, nuts, croutons, or other toppings you desire. Nuts accentuate the flavor nicely, as do cheeses.

Storage Tips

Store escarole heads wrapped in a moist paper towel inside a plastic bag for up to a week, but as with most leafy greens the sooner you eat them the better they taste.

Nutrition

Escarole (and endive) is fat-free, low in sodium, cholesterol-free, low in calories, high in folate, and has 65% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A.

History

Endive, the early ancestor of escarole, was first grown nearly 5,000 years ago and used as a medicine. Escarole is thought to have originated either around the eastern Mediterranean or in India. Wherever its origin, it was used as a food plant by ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks and was thought to help with digestion.

Field Notes

Not fussy, escarole thrives in a wide range of soil types, but does prefer cool temperatures. It likes a moist soil with good drainage. Harvested by hand in the fall season, a moderately rainy environment during harvest brings out its best qualities.