Escarole- Just Saute or Blanch and Saute?

The give-away (the tell in poker) was the combination of anchovy, capers, currants, and pine nuts...classic Sicilian ingredients.
Here are two recipes, for Sicilian Escarole Pie, one classic with anchovies, one for vegetarians without. No ricotta. Does this sound like what you used to eat?
https://www.epicurus.com/food/recipes/sicilian-escarole-pie-pasticcio-di-scarola/40824/
https://cookingwithnonna.com/italian-cuisine/escarole-pie.html

I also disdain blanching most times but in making pizza escarola you'll find that blanching helps to better manage the water content of the escarole. You want the greens cooked but not overcooked, oily not watery. In my family, from the village of Cassandrino outside Napoli, this double-crusted savory pie had a very simple recipe:

3 bunches of escarole
1 can of pitted black olives
18 capers, chopped
1 can flat anchovy fillets
8 cloves of garlic
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes--all to taste
Olive oil

Fry the greens and olives until greens achieve desired consistency. Add anchovies and capers, fry until anchovies dissolve. Add garlic, fry until beginning to turn golden. Remove from heat, add salt, pepper and flakes to taste.

Allow to cool, then stuff into your favorite pizza dough recipe, leaving enough dough to cover the top.

Bake as you would your favorite bread or pizza. Allow to cool. ENJOY!

Helpful Crazy Italian tip: Mom used to make these in big numbers, often 24 bunches of escarole at a time. The TOUGHEST part of this recipe is making sure the greens are completely clean and free of grit. Mom's solution? She saved those mesh nylon bags of oranges and other produce, filled them with loosened escarole leaves and sent them through a wash cycle of cold wash/cold rinse--no soap. Works beautifully!

I love escarole - actually more than most trendier greens. I never blanch first, just directly into the saute pan (or soup pot, if that's what's happening.)

years ago i had an italian neighbor. her cooking was fabulous. she would hand cut tiny diamond pastas, make her own salami, breaded sweet breads, rabbit, etc. anyway, we used to go out to the field to pick a member of the wild mustard family, similar to rapini. with any bitter green she would blanche first to take out the bitterness. it seemed to work really well. i think i would follow the recipe. i know what you mean about the extra step. save the water and throw on your herb garden!