{"id":1518,"date":"2007-02-20T02:27:00","date_gmt":"2007-02-20T02:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2007\/02\/20\/what-the-salad-bowl-has-joined-together"},"modified":"2007-02-20T02:27:00","modified_gmt":"2007-02-20T02:27:00","slug":"what-the-salad-bowl-has-joined-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2007\/02\/what-the-salad-bowl-has-joined-together\/","title":{"rendered":"What the salad bowl has joined together"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many years ago, long before I was old enough to care about such things, my mother told me that she didn\u2019t like escarole. It didn\u2019t mean much at the time. I didn\u2019t even know what esca\u00adwhatever<\/i> was, nor, for that matter, why anyone would have an opinion about it. It was one of those wisps of information that blow through a childhood like tumbleweeds \u2013 quiet, aimless, a part of the background \u2013 those errant bits that, though we hardly know why, we sometimes hold onto. Like, say, the fact that my uncle Chris took his eggs with Tabasco sauce. Or the story of that horse who bit my uncle Jerry, and whom my uncle Jerry bit right back. That\u2019s what escarole was like. My mom didn\u2019t care for it, and that\u2019s what I knew. I never thought to ask or wonder. And until pretty recently, I also never thought to actually try the stuff.<\/p>\n

To her credit, my mother has since told me that back in those days, she didn\u2019t really know what escarole was, either. She thought it was a funny sort of lettuce, bitter and unpleasant, though she\u2019s not sure why. Maybe my grandmother didn\u2019t like it. Go figure. At this point, it doesn\u2019t much matter, because I\u2019ve broken rank. This winter, I\u2019ve fallen head-over-snow-boots for escarole. Never mind that it took me some twenty-odd years to try it: what the salad bowl has joined together, let no man put asunder.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, it didn\u2019t happen overnight, mind you. It was a process, and I credit my friend Kate<\/a> with getting it started. One night a year or so ago, she invited me over for what she called \u201ccrazy fiery Chinese fish,\u201d also known as filets of salmon, lightly steamed and then doused in soy sauce with scallions and fresh ginger, with a slug of sputtering, near-boiling oil poured over the top. [A family specialty and quite<\/i> delicious, if dangerous.] She served it with steamed white rice to soak up the juices and, as it would happen, a head of escarole that she had tossed quickly in a hot skillet and plated with wedges of lemon. I was stunned to find it such a likable thing: a spectrum of whites and pale greens, silky in spots, crisp in others<\/b>, with a faintly edgy chicory<\/a> flavor. It was a very good start. It got me at least looking every now and then in the direction of escarole, even if I wasn\u2019t sure what to do with it.<\/p>\n

But then, oh then<\/span>, enter the salad bowl. Brandon had once told me that his old friend Steve often made salads with escarole, so a couple of months ago, faced with a very poor selection of greens at the market, we picked up a head and brought it home. Just like that. We\u2019ve been eating escarole salads ever since. After all that fuss, I feel kind of pathetic. There\u2019s hardly even a story to tell. As it turns out, escarole is easy to love<\/b>. Especially its pale heart, which, when served raw, is actually a little sweeter<\/i> than standard lettuce<\/b> and barely bitter at all. It\u2019s the only salad green I know to be leafy and crisp in the same bite, soft and resilient and springy under the fork. I don\u2019t like escarole. I flat-out love<\/i> it.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, we\u2019ve tried a few variations on the escarole salad theme, including one at Zuni Caf\u00e9 in San Francisco, with persimmons and pomegranate seeds and a fancy local olive oil. But the version I keep returning to is one of the simplest, a study in yellow and green<\/b>. We chop the escarole into coarse shreds, chuck into a bowl with some shavings from a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano, and coat it with a variation on my usual vinaigrette<\/a>. Then, at the table, it gets a few lashings of creamy avocado and some more shavings of cheese. All told, it\u2019s our new house salad, and one that I\u2019m happy to share with you. It was our Friday dinner. It was our Sunday lunch. And if the avocados on the counter continue to ripen as planned, for a little while at least, it may be our every meal.<\/p>\n

Escarole Salad with Avocado and Parmesan<\/b><\/p>\n

Now is the time for escarole. It\u2019s in season from December to April, before summer\u2019s greens shove it aside. When choosing your escarole, look for heads with large, pale yellow hearts. That\u2019s the best and most valuable part. For our purposes, the darker outer leaves exist mainly to protect the inner ones and, in the process, can tend to get tough and slightly bitter. Once you\u2019ve bought your escarole, wash it thoroughly: it\u2019s dirty business. Brandon once saw Mario Batali \u2013 back in the beautiful early years of Molto Mario<\/i> \u2013 soak his in multiple changes of cold water, so that\u2019s what we do, as you\u2019ll see in the instructions that follow.<\/p>\n

The quantities below make a light Sunday lunch<\/a> for two, along with some crusty bread and fruit to finish, but this salad could also serve three or four as a starter or side dish. You\u2019ll likely have dressing left over, but since it works with nearly any salad, it shouldn\u2019t cause too much trouble. Should you happen to be a fancy-vinegar fiend<\/a>, you might try this salad with cognac vinegar<\/a>. We had a Williams-Sonoma gift certificate to burn, so we picked up a bottle one day last fall, and it\u2019s pretty wonderful here. Lastly, for other escarole salad ideas, hop over and read Tea\u2019s take on the theme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1 head escarole (for reference, ours have generally weighed about 9 ounces each)
\u00bd firm-ripe avocado
A hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano
Crunchy sea salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel<\/i><\/p>\n

For the dressing<\/i>:
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, preferably Grey Poupon
3 Tbsp. champagne vinegar
\u00bd tsp. fine sea salt
5 Tbsp. olive oil<\/p>\n

First, prepare the escarole. Pull off the outer layer of leaves, as well as any other tough, raggedy-looking ones, and set them aside for another use. [I like to saut\u00e9 them over high heat and finish them with lemon, sort of like this<\/a>.] Cut the head in half from stem to tip, and then cut each half crosswise into coarse strips about 1 inch wide. Pile the escarole into the basket of a salad spinner, place the basket inside its bowl, and fill with cold water. Swish the leaves around and let them soak for a minute or two; then pull the basket out of the bowl to drain them. Dump the water from the bowl and rinse it well to remove any dirt. Place the basket in the bowl again, fill with cold water once more, and soak the leaves again. Pull the basket from the bowl, and shake off any excess water. Dump the water from the bowl, place the basket inside, and spin the leaves until they are well dried. Turn them out into a salad bowl.<\/p>\n

While the escarole is soaking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar, and salt, and whisk well to combine. Add the oil a tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously to emulsify. Taste, and adjust vinegar-oil balance, if necessary.<\/p>\n

Cut the avocado into thin slices. Place them in a bowl or on a plate, and set them on the table.<\/p>\n

Using a vegetable peeler, shave a small palmful of Parmigiano Reggiano over the escarole in the bowl. Add a good splash of dressing, and toss to combine. Taste, and add dressing until the salad is dressed to your liking. Serve, with avocado, additional shavings of Parmigiano, and crunchy sea salt to taste.<\/p>\n

Yield: 2 Sunday-lunch-size servings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many years ago, long before I was old enough to care about such things, my mother told me that she didn\u2019t like escarole. It didn\u2019t mean much at the time. I didn\u2019t even know what esca\u00adwhatever was, nor, for that matter, why anyone would have an opinion about it. It was one of those wisps of information that blow through a childhood like tumbleweeds \u2013 quiet, aimless, a part of the background \u2013 those errant bits that, though we hardly know why, we sometimes hold onto. Like, say, the fact that my uncle Chris took his eggs with Tabasco sauce. Or the story of that horse who bit my uncle Jerry, and whom my uncle Jerry bit right back. That\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat the salad bowl has joined together | Orangette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/2007\/02\/what-the-salad-bowl-has-joined-together\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What the salad bowl has joined together | Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many years ago, long before I was old enough to care about such things, my mother told me that she didn\u2019t like escarole. It didn\u2019t mean much at the time. I didn\u2019t even know what esca\u00adwhatever was, nor, for that matter, why anyone would have an opinion about it. It was one of those wisps of information that blow through a childhood like tumbleweeds \u2013 quiet, aimless, a part of the background \u2013 those errant bits that, though we hardly know why, we sometimes hold onto. Like, say, the fact that my uncle Chris took his eggs with Tabasco sauce. Or the story of that horse who bit my uncle Jerry, and whom my uncle Jerry bit right back. 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