Best Wilted Escarole Recipes

CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BACON AND WILTED ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Place chicken thighs, skin side down, in skillet and cook, pouring off excess fat from time to time, until skin is browned and crisp, 10-12 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook until cooked through, 8-10 minutes longer. Transfer thighs to a cutting board or large plate.
• Pour off fat from skillet (no need to wipe it out) and increase heat to medium-high. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add shallot and 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes and toss to coat. Add escarole in large handfuls, letting it wilt slightly before adding more. After the last handful goes in, remove pan from heat and toss greens to coat (some will be tender, some a little crunchier).
• Divide escarole among plates and top with chicken. Squeeze lemon over and top with more red pepper flakes.

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.

WILTED ESCAROLE AND GARLIC-FRIED GARBANZO BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Fill a heavy-bottomed saucepan with 1 inch of oil. Heat to 350 degrees, checking the temperature on a deep-fry thermometer. Add the garlic, and fry just until it starts to turn golden, about 10 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Working in small batches, add the garbanzo beans to the oil. Fry until golden and crusty, 2 to 3 minutes. As you are frying, check the temperature of the oil with the deep-fry thermometer, and adjust the heat as necessary to keep it between 325 degrees and 350 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garbanzos to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm in the oven. Remove the pan of oil from the heat, and set aside.
• To wilt the escarole, place about 3 tablespoons of the reserved oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch-oven over medium-high heat. Add as much escarole as will comfortably fit in your pan and toss with tongs until wilted. Then start adding the remaining escarole a handful at a time and keep tossing until all the escarole is wilted. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook for a few minutes more, until the escarole is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes altogether. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the escarole on a platter, and squeeze lemon juice over. Scatter the fried garbanzos over the escarole, and top with the fried garlic. Garnish platter with lemon wedges.

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 GARLIC, LEMON AND OIL

Steps:

• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-low heat with garlic and anchovy. Cook together 3 to 4 minutes to infuse garlic into oil. Remove the garlic cloves and stir oil to mix in the melted anchovies and add the red pepper flakes. Raise heat to medium-high. When oil ripples or begins to waft smoke, add greens and stir fry them 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over the greens, toss, and serve.

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.
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WILTED ESCAROLE WITH APPLES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add shallot and season with coarse salt and ground pepper; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add apples and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cider vinegar. In a large bowl, toss escarole, roughly chopped, with apple mixture; season with salt and pepper.

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 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 AND RED ONION

Steps:

• Saute 1 thinly sliced red onion in 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Add 1 roughly chopped head escarole and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and cook until wilted, 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until any excess liquid evaporates.

WILTED ESCAROLE WITH GARLIC, LEMON AND OIL

Steps:

• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-low heat with garlic and anchovy. Cook together 3 to 4 minutes to infuse garlic into oil.
• Remove the garlic cloves and stir oil to mix in the melted anchovies and add the red pepper flakes.
• Raise heat to medium-high. When oil ripples or begins to waft smoke, add greens and stir fry them 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over the greens, toss, and serve.

WILTED ESCAROLE WITH COUNTRY HAM AND CHILES

Steps:

• Working over a small bowl, finely grate enough zest from lemon to measure 2 teaspoons. Cut lemon in half; squeeze juice into another small bowl. Set zest and juice aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until garlic is beginning to turn golden at edges, about 2 minutes. Add ham; cook, spreading out ham with tongs to keep pieces from sticking together, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes; stir for 30 seconds, then add escarole. Cook, tossing escarole to coat in sauce, until wilted but not overcooked, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using tongs, transfer escarole to a serving dish. Add butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice to taste to pan. Cook, whisking, until a sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle sauce over escarole.