Herbed Escarole Casserole Recipes

MAMA'S ITALIAN ESCAROLE

Steps:

• 1. Fill a large pot about half way with water and bring to a boil and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut off end bunch of escarole. Separate leaves and wash.
• 2. Add the escarole to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes or till tender. Throw in a few small whole garlic cloves the last few minutes. Drain the escarole really well and set aside.
• 3. In the same pot add olive oil. Slice 3-4 large cloves garlic the long way, not too thin and sautee and brown the garlic on each side in the olive oil.
• 4. Return the drained escarole to the pot with the garlic. Add salt and pepper. Add a can of drained black olives and continue to cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the vegetable from the pot, and place in a nice serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil

ESCAROLE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a colander in a large bowl. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In 2 batches, cook escarole until tender, 7 minutes, then drain in a colander, pressing with a spatula to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium. Cook shallot and garlic until tender, 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add milk and cook, whisking, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and stir in escarole. Pour mixture into a 1-quart baking dish.
• In a food processor, pulse bread until coarse crumbs form; transfer to a small bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and pour over breadcrumbs, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Top escarole with breadcrumbs and bake until golden brown and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.

HERBED ESCAROLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease a 2-cup casserole.
• Cut off root end of escarole. Thoroughly rinse the leaves. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add the escarole and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and drain. Roughly chop.
• Heat oil in a skillet. Add the escarole, prosciutto, herbs, and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in 1/3 cup panko and cheese.
• Place in casserole. Sprinkle with 1 tbl. panko.
• Place in oven and cook for about 25 minutes. Serve.
• Note1: I used a mix of basil, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme. Use whatever you like. You can substitute 1 tbl. of mixed dry herbs, if you must - try to use something fresh, even parsley.
• Note2: Delis that sell prosciutto often sell the ends too small to slice at less than half price of the sliced prosciutto. It keeps a long time. Of course, you can sub sliced prosciutto.

HERBED PASTA PERFECTION

Steps:

• 1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and thyme; cook until garlic is light golden brown, about 1 minute. Using a whisk, mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, wine, chicken bouillon and sugar to skillet. Bring wine mixture to a boil and cook until the sauce is reduced by half, 2 - 5 minutes. Stir beans into sauce and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.
• 2. Add cooked, hot pasta to skillet; stir to coat completely with sauce. Divide pasta evenly among serving bowls. Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.