The market · Vegetables · Southern Europe
Puntarelle
The hollow shoots hidden inside a head of catalogna chicory — crisp, juicy and bitter, and Rome's winter salad.
bitter · crisp · juicy
What to do with it
If you can't find it
Italian greengrocers, in winter.
- Chicory or frisée, sliced thin and icedYou lose the crunchy, hollow shoots.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Italian greengrocers in winter, as whole heads; Roman markets sell them ready-cut, curling in water. The outer leaves cook like any chicory.
- Worth knowing
- Snap off the shoots, cut them lengthways into thin strips and drop them in iced water for an hour — they curl and lose some bitterness. Dry well and dress with anchovy pounded with garlic, a little vinegar and plenty of olive oil.
