The Chicories: Endive, Radicchio, and Escarole

Native to the East Indies, endive and escarole were introduced into Egypt and Greece at a very early period. Escarole and endive are very high in vitamin A, and work very well in ridding the body of infections. They are both high in iron and potassium and are alkaline in reaction. Radicchio, according to an Italian study, was found to be one of the vegetables having the highest anti-oxidant content - rivaling blueberries!

Growing info: We are just experimenting with growing these crops right now. They are best grown in the cool seasons. We'll be growing them for fall harvesting this year.

Radicchio TIPS:

Short-term Storage: See lettuce

Long-term Storage: Will not store long term A head of Escarole

General Cooking Info: Cooking slightly will reduce bitter flavors. Bitter green salads are usually accompanied by salty dressings or other ingredients. Salt will balance the bitterness and it actually suppresses our perception of bitterness!

Recipes--The Chicories

Fall Salad with Cranberry 1 medium onion, chopped chop the escarole. Add the garlic to Vinaigrette 1 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-pound head curly the hot pan and saute until the endive, rinsed, leaves torn coarsely garlic begins to soften and turn a 2 large garlic cloves, chopped light golden brown, about 5 1/2 cup cider vinegar 2 15-ounce cans cannellini (white minutes. Add the pine nuts and 1/4 cup cranberries kidney beans), drained well cook until the nuts are lightly 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 cup canned beef broth toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the 2 teaspoons white sugar escarole and stir until well-cooked 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt Cook bacon in heavy large pot over and very soft, about 5 minutes. 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper medium-high heat until brown and Remove from the heat and serve 2 heads romaine lettuce - rinsed, crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer immediately as a side dish dried, and torn into bite-size pieces bacon to paper towels and drain. (contorni) or allow to cool to room 2 medium heads Belgian endive - Set bacon aside. Add onion to temperature to use in another washed, dried and chopped drippings in pot and sauté until recipe. 2 red Anjou pears beginning to soften, about 4 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped minutes. Add half of endive with from Mario Batali 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola water still clinging to leaves. Cover cheese pot and cook until endive is wilted, stirring once, about 4 minutes. Add In a saucepan, combine vinegar remaining half of endive and Braised Escarole with Garlic and and cranberries. Cook over medium chopped garlic. Cover and cook Lemon heat until cranberries soften. until endive leaves are wilted but Remove from heat; add olive oil, still bright green, stirring once, sugar, salt and pepper. Place in about 4 minutes. Add cannellini, 1 head escarole, about 1 pound blender and mix until smooth. beef broth, and bacon. Cook bean 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Refrigerate until chilled. mixture until heated through, stirring 1 tablespoon unsalted butter often, about 5 minutes. Season to 4 garlic cloves, sliced Core and julienne one pear, core taste with salt and pepper. 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and dice the other. 2 bay leaves from www.epicurious.com 1/2 lemon, cut in thin slices In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups water or chicken broth Romaine lettuce, endive, diced Escarole and Pine Nuts Pinch sugar pears, walnuts and Gorgonzola. Kosher salt and freshly ground Toss and drizzle with enough 1 head escarole, about 1 1/4 to 1 black pepper dressing to coat. 1/2 pounds 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Break off the leaves of the escarole Divide among salad plates and 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and wash them individually, taking garnish with julienned pear. Top 2 tablespoons pine nuts care to remove any soil at the base with any additional walnuts as well. Directions of the stems. Shake the leaves dry, Bring 3 quarts water to a rolling boil. stack them up, and slice the from Allrecipes Separate the escarole leaves and escarole crosswise into ribbons rinse thoroughly. Drop leaves into about 1 1/2-inches wide. White Beans with Bacon and the boiling water and boil, covered, Endive until tender, about 35 minutes Place a large deep skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil Team this hearty side dish with a and butter. Toss in the garlic, red pork or chicken entrée, or just add When the escarole is tender, drain pepper flakes, bay leaves, and some crusty bread and make a thoroughly and let dry. In a 12 to 14- lemon slices; cook and stir for a meal out of it. inch saute pan, heat the olive oil couple of minutes, tossing to 8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped until hot but not smoking. Roughly combine. Nestle the escarole into Recipes--The Chicories the pan and saute until it begins to 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more to coat For the beans: wilt and shrink down, about 2 radicchio minutes. Sprinkle the escarole with 6 ounces (about 1 cup) dried a pinch of sugar and season with 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar cannellini beans, salt and pepper. Pour in the water and cover the pan. Simmer for 20 1 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic minutes until the escarole is tender. 3 chopped garlic cloves 1 sprig fresh thyme from Tyler Florence 1/2 teaspoon mustard 1 to 2 vegetable bouillon cubes Escarole Soup Salt and black pepper For the radicchio: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 pounds bulk Italian sausage Pecorino or parmesan cheese for 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 (32 ounce) cartons chicken broth garnish 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, 1 head radicchio, stem and core rinsed and drained 1 Make the dressing. Put the salt, removed, leaves cut or torn into 1 1 head escarole, chopped garlic, mustard and balsamic 1/2 inch squares 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce vinegar into a food processor or blender and pulse to combine. With 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1.Heat the olive oil in a stockpot the motor running, drizzle in the flakes over medium heat. Cook the olive oil slowly until the dressing sausage in the oil until evenly comes together. salt and freshly ground black browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the pepper chicken broth, beans, escarole, and 2 Prepare your grill for high, direct tomato sauce; simmer another 15 heat. 1 clove garlic, minced to 20 minutes.

3 Coat quartered radicchio with 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley from Allrecipes.com olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cracked black pepper, for garnish. Grilled Radicchio Salad 4 Grill the radicchio over high heat, here's the cool thing, radicchio is outstanding grilled. Something uncovered. Keep an eye on them, 1. For the beans: Place the beans about the grilling on high heat as they blacken quickly. You want a in a bowl and add cold water to transforms the bitterness and turns little blackening, but not a cinder. cover by two inches. Allow to soak it even a little nutty. I didn't believe it When they’re done, move to a bowl overnight. The next day, drain, rinse until I tried it. So good! Quarter the and bring inside to chop. radicchio heads, coat them with with cold water, and drain again. olive oil and sprinkle with salt, grill them until lightly charred all over. 5 Chop the radicchio quarters into 2. In a medium pot, combine the Chop them into salad sized pieces, bite-sized pieces and toss with the beans, garlic, thyme, and cold toss them with dressing, and dressing and some black pepper. water to cover by 2 inches. Place sprinkle on a little grated Parm or Serve hot or at room temperature, Pecorino and you're there. over high heat to bring to a boil. garnished with grated pecorino or Reduce heat to medium, and parmesan cheese. simmer until tender, 25 to 45 minutes; do not salt the water. Yield: Serves 4 to 6 from When the beans are tender, add 1 2 heads of radicchio, quartered, so Simplyrecipes.com to 2 bouillon cubes, to taste, and that each quarter has a bit of the cook 5 minutes more; the liquid stem end holding it together Catalan-Style Radicchio and should be slightly salted. Drain the White Beans beans, reserving the liquid; discard

Recipes--The Chicories

garlic and thyme. Set beans and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 cooked pasta and mix until the reserved liquid aside. stick) pasta is evenly coated. Place the pasta mixture in a 13-by-9-inch 3. For the radicchio: In a large 2 medium garlic cloves, minced baking dish and sprinkle the skillet over medium heat, heat 2 mozzarella and Parmigiano over tablespoons of the oil. Add 1 medium white onion, small dice top. Place in the oven and bake radicchio, turning to coat with oil. (about 1 cup) until the mixture is bubbling, the Add pepper flakes, and season with pasta is al dente, and the top is salt and pepper to taste. Cook, 7 medium Roma tomatoes (about 2 golden brown, about 20 minutes. stirring occasionally, until tender, 7 pounds), cored and coarsely to 10 minutes. Remove from heat chopped from Chow.com and set aside. 3 heads Treviso radicchio (about 4 4. In a separate skillet over medium cups), ends trimmed and sliced heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon crosswise into 1/2-inch strips olive oil. Add garlic, and sauté until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. 1/2 cup heavy cream Add beans and 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Simmer 1 pound penne rigate or ziti pasta until the liquid becomes somewhat creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, small radicchio and parsley, and simmer dice (about 1 1/2 cups) 10 minutes more, adding more of the reserved cooking liquid if the 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano- mixture seems too thick. Serve in Reggiano bowls, garnished with a sprinkling of cracked black pepper. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bring a from Jonatan Leiva, Executive Chef large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Baked Radicchio and Mozzarella Pasta Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add garlic and onion, season well The next time you think of bringing with salt, and cook until onion is lasagne or another noodle translucent, about 4 minutes. Add casserole to a potluck, try this tomatoes and let simmer until recipe instead. It softens radicchio’s bitterness by baking it in a cream slightly reduced and thickened, sauce; plus the gooey, browned bits about 10 minutes. Add radicchio of mozzarella are hard to resist. and cream and cook until radicchio This dish is hearty enough to be a is wilted, about 5 minutes. Taste whole meal, but it also makes a and adjust seasoning as necessary. great accompaniment to a roast or a large green salad with a slightly acidic vinaigrette (to balance the Meanwhile, cook pasta in the salted robustness of the pasta). water for about half the time recommended on the packaging If you want to increase the bitter and drain. (Do not rinse.) Set aside. flavor of the dish, use more of the white ribs and core of the radicchio. If you want a sweeter flavor, use Once the sauce has finished mostly the purple parts. simmering, combine it with the half-