No-Cook

Gabrielle Hamilton's Endive Salad in the Roman Puntarelle Style

by:
January 20, 2015
5
2 Ratings
Gabrielle Hamilton's Endive Salad in the Roman Puntarelle Style
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is the best-yet recreation of a traditional Roman recipe with American ingredients (dandelion greens are an imperfect substitute). The melting ice cubes are essential for watering down the very intense dressing, and will also keep the endive curled up and crisp, the dressing focused and sharp. Adapted slightly from Prune (Random House, 2014). —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3/4 pound Belgian endive (up to 1 pound)
  • 4 to 5 cloves burning, sticky fresh garlic, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 10 anchovy fillets in oil
  • 2 serious pinches kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup crushed ice
Directions
  1. Trim the brown bits at the base of each head of endive. Cut into long, thin strips, top to bottom, like straw. Place in a metal bowl and scatter the ice on top.
  2. Mince the anchovies very fine. Microplane the garlic, wasting none. Whisk together the garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and many grinds of black pepper. Drizzle all over the endive and toss well to blend with the cold water from the melting ice. Be sure it has all its accumulated dressing when you portion -- the garlic is ferocious and needs to be tamed by the water.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Valerie Gutchen Arnade
    Valerie Gutchen Arnade
  • mbj913
    mbj913
  • Pamelarkspur
    Pamelarkspur
  • Kristen Miglore
    Kristen Miglore
Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

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10 Reviews

Valerie G.
Valerie G. December 5, 2018
I wonder where one can get burning sticky fresh garlic? What if one has to use regular garlic cloves and how much?
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. December 5, 2018
Hi Valerie—she just means the freshest garlic you can find. I like to squeeze the garlic heads at the store until I find one that's *very* firm, with no give (if the cloves are squishy or loose in their skins, they're likely older and will taste funkier and less fresh).
 
mbj913
mbj913 January 29, 2015
i liked it. will make it again.
 
Ashley J.
Ashley J. January 22, 2015
This sounds interesting! I appreciate trying new techniques and although the idea of putting ice in a salad seems, odd - You never know until you try it. It's always trial and error. That's how you learn new, different, and sometimes better ways of constructing your meals. I cant wait to try it!
 
Roz C.
Roz C. January 21, 2015
Also think the title should have "Endive" not "Escarole"
 
Pamelarkspur
Pamelarkspur January 21, 2015
A cup of melting crushed ice? Is watery salad a good thing? If "the garlic is ferocious and needs to be tamed by the water," why not just use less garlic?
 
Barbara B.
Barbara B. January 21, 2015
Endive, not escarole.
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. January 21, 2015
Barbara, see my response to cookbookchick above.
 
Lynn D.
Lynn D. January 21, 2015
2 cups of salt?
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. January 21, 2015
Apologies for the typo -- it's been fixed now. It's "2 serious pinches kosher salt".