L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES TONI BRANCATISANO I f there is one thing I love that Italians do beautifully, it's t h e i r v e g e t a b l e side dishes. Cico- ria ripassata is a veg- e t a b l e s e e n o n m o s t Roman restaurant menus and it's usually my go-to w h e n I w a n t s o m e t h i n g packed full of flavor, and that can be a strong dis- traction to help me avoid the roast potatoes. There are a few vari- eties of chicory and you m i g h t f i n d a c o u p l e o f those you could use for this recipe at your local market. There is also a salad variety — radicchio and endive are part of the chicory family — and don't forget the type used to make puntarelle. The chicory I bought is l o c a l a n d g r o w n i n t h e region of Lazio. I'm always happy to buy local produce that hasn't travelled great d i s t a n c e s t o g e t t o m y farmer's market. Wild chicory leaves have a bitter taste (some more than others) but this can be reduced by cooking the c h i c o r y l e a v e s f i r s t a n d then discarding the water. T h e R o m a n c o o k i n g method does this and the name of the recipe, "cicoria r i p a s s a t a , " m e a n s i t i s c o o k e d t w i c e , a s i t i s , indeed, cooked a second time in a frying pan. It is tossed with olive oil, garlic, anchovies and a little chili pepper, and this is where the word "ripassata" comes into play – as this is the second part of cooking the chicory. S a u t é e d R o m a n s t y l e chicory is a delicious side dish, but you can also find it on pizza or as a filling for panini. You could add it to pasta or also use it to cre- ate a tasty frittata. The quantity of chicory is hard to write down in a recipe, because I usually just buy a big bunch at the market. For this recipe, I used 750 grams (just under 2 lbs) and it is plenty for 4- 6 portions. Ingredients 750 (2 lbs) chicory 2 tbsp salt 4 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, whole 1 small chili pepper 3 anchovy fillets Method C u t t h e e n d s o f t h e chicory stalks with a sharp knife. Carefully wash the c h i c o r y l e a v e s i n t h e kitchen sink filled with cold water. P l a c e t h e c h i c o r y i n a saucepan filled with salted water and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for about 10 minutes and then drain. Leave to cool a little and then squeeze it well, so that it loses as much water as possible. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the w h o l e g a r l i c c l o v e , t h e chopped chili pepper and t h e a n c h o v y f i l l e t s . F r y together until the anchovy fillets break up and dis- solve into the oil. When the garlic is gold- en in color, add the chicory leaves and toss in the pan for about 5 minutes over a high heat ensuring they are covered well with the oil mixture. Remove the garlic clove and serve hot or warm. You can add more salt if you feel it's necessary, but taste t h e c h i c o r y f i r s t b e f o r e doing so. A delicious plate of cicoria ripassata (Photo: Toni Brancatisano) … and here's the cicoria before being cooked (Photo: Toni Brancatisano) Cicoria ripassata: sautéed Roman style chicory

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