Italian cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Stuffed Escarole

Neapolitan escarole heads stuffed with olives, capers, raisins and pine nuts, then braised in the pot.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 heads escarole (endive)
• 100 g black olives
• 2 tbsp capers
• 3 tbsp raisins
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 4 anchovy fillets in oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Halve the escarole heads, wash thoroughly between the leaves and blanch for 3 min. in boiling salted water, then shock in cold water and gently squeeze out, without tearing the heads.
2. Soak the raisins in warm water for 10 min. and toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for 2 min. until light golden.
3. Coarsely chop the olives, rinse the capers, and mix both with the mashed anchovy fillets, the finely chopped garlic, the drained raisins, the pine nuts, the breadcrumbs and the chili flakes to a filling.
4. Carefully open up the leaves of the head halves, distribute the filling between them, press the heads back together and loosely tie with kitchen twine.
5. Heat olive oil in a wide pot, sear the parcels for 3 min. per side, pour in 100 ml water and braise covered over low heat for 25 min., until the cores are soft and the filling smells fragrant.
6. Remove the twine, halve the heads, pour the pot liquor over them and serve lukewarm.