Puntarelle

If I had to pick a favorite time of year to cook, it must be the fall. I love it when the weather gets cooler and wetter and there’s almost no better view to me than mist wreathing mountains. I love it when the markets start getting in the orange and green squashes, bitter greens, fennel, persimmons, pomegranates, cabbages and leeks. It makes be positively anxious to cook something warm and satisfying with all the new produce. When building a meal for colder days, I love including lots of vegetables so that the meal retains its freshness. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make a fresh salad of bitter chicories dressed in a light and flavorful dressing of anchovies, an acid, perhaps some capers or olives, salt and olive oil. My very favorite version of this is the incomparable Puntarelle alla Romana. It is a classic roman recipe made with a very distinctive variety of chicory called puntarelle. A head of puntarelle resembles very spiky dandelion greens spouting from a connected sphere of white fleshy fingers. It is these fingers that are prized and to make the dish properly, you must separate them all from one another and carefully julienne them. There is a special tool they use in Rome that resembles a small wooden box, open on each end, with a lattice of wires strung across the top. The puntarelle “fingers”, which are hollow on the inside, are pushed into the box and conveniently sliced, saving a lot of time for the cooks who make hundreds a day. For us, the knife will suffice and as the season is short, allow yourself this small bit of hard work for a delicious reward.

One head of puntarelle

two anchovies

one clove of garlic

sherry vinegar

olive oil

salt

lemon

Separate the puntarelle, discarding the leaves. Julienne each ‘finger’ by thinly slicing lengthwise. Place the julienned puntarelle in a bowl of ice water with the juice of one lemon. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, anchovy and a pinch of salt until a paste is formed. Add in about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and pound to combine. Using the pestle to stir vigorously, add in a thin stream of olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Drain the puntarelle, discarding the liquid. In a large bowl combine the puntarelle and dressing, tossing to thoroughly combine. Serve cold, piled on to plates.