Escarole (tonight without the beans)

When I was young, the words "escarole and beans" were dreaded.  We gagged it down (literally).  We pronounced it different and we were the only kids on the block that had to suffer through it.  It was not good.  Today we're using the american pronunciation in deference to my "american to the bones" husband (to his credit he does say "mapina").  And I'm happy to say as I have matured, so has my palette.  Escarole has become a staple in our house.  I usually buy it when I'm in NY (M&M's has it sometimes for $.99.lb)  But it did make sense for us to grow it. 

We've tried and tried without success.  We start it from seed the same time we start our lettuce.  It comes up without a hitch, but bolts pretty much immediately.  One of my jobs this past weekend was to pull all of them.  Not one plant would be harvested.  Luckily one of the farmers at this weekends farmers market does have tremendous success.  These heads of escarole are beautiful.  Not a blemish and not a piece of sand or dirt.  It made our failure easier to take.

Here's our problem with beautiful escarole...I'm so enamored with these beauties that I over-buy.  Buying local is one thing.  Finding enough nights in the week to cook it all is another.  We haven't found a way to freeze or preserve escarole, so eating it before it goes bad is important.  Our standby is the way my mother made it.  Yes, the same dish I swallowed with huge gulps of water is our favorite.  I am embarrassed to say I had some help with a recipe.  I wanted to do it right.  Our friend Giada De Laurentiis must have had the same upbringing (with a  bit more money).  She re-created our memory.  Here's the link to the recipe.  As an FYI - Dave's Market sells the rinds to the cheese.  It makes all the difference in the world.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/escarole-and-bean-soup-recipe/index.html



Proofing the blog