An cute old woman at the local market was selling these, I'm guessing from her own farm. There is so...

Who could resist these? WHO?!?

Hey everyone,

Earlier this week, I introduced you to Farmer Lee Jones, and the wonderful organic vegetables he makes at The Chef's Garden in Huron, OH.  And since Bryan and I are always looking to see and share your recipes, I wanted to highlight Maria Piazza's Sauteed Escarole with Radicchio.  Maria used her experiences from her youth (there was always greens in her Mother's kitchen), to help create a great side dish. 

Drawing from what you know and what you grew up with is a smart way to expand your culinary creativity.  Cooking isn't just ingredients, gadgets and techniques, it's also experience, passion and heart.

Here is Maria's recipe, in her own words:

With ingredients this fresh...just steam, add a little butter, season, and serve.

"I love greens. So often on my mother's stove, there was a pot of homegrown greens from my dad's garden, cooking away. I remember him coming to the door in dirt-caked boots, and handing over enormous bunches for her to wash. It seemed like an endless task, the sink overflowing with them, the countertop piled high. But then they were in the pot, on the back burner, with salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and the aromatic earthiness of the steam fogged the kitchen window.

She kept it simple ... with 7 mouths to feed, this was not the only thing going onto the table for dinner. And I liked it that way. A little slivered garlic. A little olive oil. A ladle of the cooking liquid. Loaves of bread for tearing and dunking.

Mmmm. Back to the greens recipe. This reminds me of my mother's greens in its simplicity. It is a warming winter side dish that is great with roasted chicken or fish, or as a main dish served simply with sauteed or boiled potatoes tossed with a bit of butter and herbs. I'm making myself hungry!

Notes

Escarole: You can substitute kale or swiss chard for the escarole. The escarole I used for this recipe was relatively young, so I'm only dropping it into boiling water for a few minutes. If your greens are bigger and thicker, adjust the boiling and cooking time by adding 4 - 5 minutes more to each.

Radicchio: Radicchio is mildly bitter, if you haven't had it before. You can also use the long radicchio, called Trevisano,  that looks like red belgian endive. The bitterness mellows when radicchio is cooked, especially with the addition of an acid like white wine vinegar or lemon."

Click HERE for the full recipe.

-Michael

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  • Categories: User Content , Ingredients , Technique
That's my type of food. When you have fresh good quality ingredients, you don't have to do much to make amazing dishes. Gotta love local farmer's markets. Love the pictures on Maria's profile page.
That's sound really superb! IN y little village I cook this all the time. Thanks for the nice pictures
Thank you, Michael and Bryan, for the post and the encouragment. I'm honored that you took the time to feature my recipe and photos on the site. I'm a huge a fan, and it means a lot.

And thanks everyone for your comments!
Oh wow this sounds amazing!!  Thanks to all for posting!
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