On any January Saturday morning, Nicolas Donck’s booth at the Morningside Farmers Market is lined with basket after basket of beautiful leafy greens. You might find arugula or kale, lettuce or salad mix, but you will always find an assortment of chicories including radicchio, frisee and escarole.
Donck of Crystal Organic Farm in Newborn says every year the chicories become more and more popular. “Every year we grow more, and every year we never have enough,” he said.
It’s easy to mistake escarole for just another pretty head of curly leaved lettuce. And you wouldn’t go wrong choosing it for a salad. “I really think escarole is the best salad green this time of year,” said Donck.
Like the other chicories those lush leaves come with a bitter edge but cold weather brings out the sweetness.
Donck seeds his escarole in late summer and does succession sowings. “We try to get some growing in late August depending on temperatures and we keep seeding throughout the fall and into early winter,” he said. The goal is a nice full head with a light green heart. “You have to be patient. You think it’s ready, but it’s best when you have a really nice sized full head.”
He generally has escarole to sell at least until March or April, but when the weather gets warm, the leaves become too bitter.
“If you’re growing escarole in your home garden, you can tie up the outer leaves to blanch the center. It’s not difficult to grow although it does require some winter protection. You don’t need to grow it in a greenhouse like we do, but you do need to give it some cover if there’s a freeze,” he said.
Donck enjoys escarole best as a salad green but he also likes it in a simple saute with white beans like cannellini. “All the bitter greens are so healthy, particularly good for your liver. I talk to my customers about giving it a try as a salad green. It’s hard to go wrong with escarole,” he said.
For sale at local farmers markets
Vegetables and fruit: apple cider, apples, arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collards, endive, escarole, fennel, frisee, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, olives, parsnips, radishes, spinach, spring onions, sweet potatoes, turmeric, turnips
From local reports
Gerry Klaskala’s Escarole Gratin
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Serves: 6
Total cooking time will depend on the depth of your baking dish.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra to butter baking dish
1/2 cup crumbled saltine crackers (about 12)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 heads escarole, rinsed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 20 ounces)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a shallow one quart baking dish.
In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from heat, stir in saltines and mix well. Set aside.
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine cream, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil and cook until cream is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add escarole and cook until escarole is wilted and tender and cream has reduced to a sauce consistency, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.
Pour the escarole mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with reserved saltine mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until saltine crumbs are golden brown and casserole is bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to rest a few minutes before serving.
Per serving: 280 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), 8 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 23 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 78 milligrams cholesterol, 422 milligrams sodium.
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