Wilted Escarole With Walnuts And Blue Cheese Food

WILTED ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Escarole is a winter green my father served to me raw in a salad. I always struggled with the underlying toughness of the leaves. I would smile and gulp down a lot of water while eating them! My favorite treatment for them now is to drop them in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil and a touch of chili flakes. The "fork-garlic clove" trick adds a nice, light garlic flavor! They will lose a lot of volume so don't be afraid to overload the pan and watch it wilt. Cook for only a few minutes and serve immediately.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the escarole and season lightly with salt and chili flakes. Cook the escarole, stirring, from time to time, with the fork, until they are completely wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. This will allow a "hint" of garlic to touch the greens without overwhelming them. Drain and discard any liquid. Transfer the leaves to a kitchen towel and dry them off, slightly, before transferring them to a platter. Serve immediately.

WILTED ESCAROLE WITH HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Cook 2 sliced garlic cloves in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 1 minute. Add 1 bunch roughly chopped escarole and toss. Cover and cook until just wilted, 2 minutes. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with a pinch each of red pepper flakes and salt; add the zest of 1/2 lemon and the juice of the whole lemon. Toss with the escarole and season with salt. Top with chopped toasted hazelnuts and grated parmesan.

WILTED ESCAROLE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss bread and 3 tablespoons oil on a large rimmed baking sheet, squeezing bread so it absorbs oil evenly; season with salt and pepper. Spread out bread pieces in an even layer and bake, tossing occasionally, until crisp on the outside but still chewy in the center, 10-15 minutes. Let croutons cool.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add anchovies and, using a spoon, mash into oil. Add red pepper flakes and remove skillet from heat. Add vinegar, scraping up any bits; season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• Just before serving, toss escarole, croutons and warm vinaigrette in a large bowl until escarole is slightly wilted; season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
• DO AHEAD: Croutons and vinaigrette can be made and escarole can be prepped 1 day ahead. Store croutons wrapped airtight at room temperature. Let vinaigrette cool; cover and chill. Gently reheat vinaigrette before using.

WILTED ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Remove the tough outer leaves of the escarole and twist from the core, discard. Wash in a deep bowl filled with very cold water and swish around until all the dirt has rested on the bottom of the bowl. Lift the leaves from the bowl and spin dry in small batches in a salad spinner.
• Heat the butter, oil, and pepper flakes in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the escarole and stir until just wilted. Add the remaining escarole and cook until softened but still has a little crunch. Season with the salt and serve.
• Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

WILTED ESCAROLE WITH WALNUTS AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut escarole into 1 1/2-inch wedges, leaving base intact. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium; add a few wedges and cook, turning, until escarole is wilted and light brown on all sides, 3 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter. Repeat twice with more oil and remaining escarole. Top with walnuts and blue cheese; drizzle with lemon juice, if desired.

WILTED ESCAROLE WITH PINE NUTS AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and toss in the garlic and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and ditch it.
• Add the pine nuts, raisins, vinegar and 2 tablespoons water to the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat and toss in the escarole. Toss the escarole to coat with the oil and vinegar mixture and season with salt. Remove the pan from the heat and cover for 1 minute.
• Remove the lid from the pan, toss again and taste. Adjust the seasonings, if needed.

ESCAROLE CAESAR SALAD WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Submerge escarole leaves in a large bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Then thoroughly dry in a salad spinner or colander, and place in a single layer on a paper towel-lined dish cloth. Roll up cloth; refrigerate until lettuce is crisp and completely dry (any water clinging to leaves may cause the dressing to break), at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.
• Place garlic in a large wooden bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mash to a paste with a fork. Transfer half of paste to a rimmed baking sheet; set bowl aside. With the fork, stir butter into garlic paste on sheet. Toss with walnuts to evenly coat. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese, season with salt and pepper, and toss again to evenly coat. Spread into a single layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until toasted and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on sheet.
• Add anchovies to bowl with garlic paste and mash to a paste with a fork. Whisk in lemon juice, Worcestershire, Dijon, and egg yolk. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly add oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Add lettuce and toss to evenly coat, then toss with remaining 3/4 cup cheese and walnuts. Serve immediately.

ESCAROLE SALAD WITH APPLES, CANDIED WALNUTS, AND SAINT ANDRé CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add apple wedges; cook until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Divide among plates. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and walnuts to skillet; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle walnuts with sugar; stir until walnuts and sauce are deep brown, about 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer walnuts to small bowl. Add shallots to skillet; stir until soft, 10 to 15 seconds. Stir in vinegar, then add escarole and radicchio to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mound salad on plates alongside apples. Top with cheese and walnuts.