Scarola imbottita al forno (Oven-Baked Stuffed Escarole)

Frank27 November 2021Naples and Campania, sides/contorno39 Comments

The people of the Campania region and its capital Naples are great lovers of leafy green vegetables. Even before they became famous for pizza and pasta, Neapolitans were so enamored of their greens that other Italians would call them mangiafoglie, or “leaf eaters”. That love of leafy greens has come down to us in the vast array of traditional vegetable dishes, and here is one of my favorites, a Neapolitan classic little known on these shores, scarola imbottita al forno, or Stuffed and Baked Escarole.

The recipe is a variation on a familiar theme we’ve seen in other escarole dishes like scarola aglio e olio. In that dish, the escarole is sautéed in garlic then flavored with olives, capers and anchovies. What makes this dish different is the escarole is kept whole or, if very large, cut in two lengthwise. The flavorings, along with breadcrumbs for heft, go on the inside as a stuffing and, in this baked version, the escarole gets rolled up and heated through in the oven.

It’s a dish that’s both tasty and healthy, satisfying but not at all heavy. That makes scarola imbottita perfect for light post-holiday eating. Alas, it’s not terribly photogenic and so not particularly “bloggable”. That may explain why this near-vegan dish hasn’t caught on among today’s foodies. But plain looking as it may be, I thought I should blog about scarola imbottita all the same. This old time recipe is too good to forget.

Ingredients

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side course

For the initial braising:

2 large heads escarole (4 small ones, if you can find them)
1-2 cloves of garlic, left whole
Olive oil

For the stuffing:

100g (1 cup) dry breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
A handful of black olives, roughly chopped
A handful of capers
A few anchovy filets, chopped
A few sprigs of parsley, minced

For baking:

Breadcrumbs
Olive oil

Directions

Prepping the escarole

Remove any bruised outer leaves from the escarole. Trim off any discoloration from the stems but take care not to remove them, as you want the escarole to remain intact. Wash the escarole and let it dry off.

If you’re dealing with a large escarole head, as you probably will be, you can cut it in half lengthwise, starting from the stem. Again, make sure the stem remains attached to the leaves like so:

Braising the escarole

In a large sauté pan large enough to hold all the escarole in one layer, gently heat the olive oil and add the garlic clove. When you begin the smell the garlic’s aroma, nestle the escarole in the pan, sprinkle with salt and cover. Let the escarole braise very gently, turning once, for about 15-20 minutes total, until wilted.

Let the escarole cool completely, then gently squeeze each head (or half head) and pat dry with paper towels.

Making the filling

While the escarole is braising, prepare the filling: Heat a good pour of olive oil in a skillet, then add the garlic. When they just begin to brown and give off their aroma, add the breadcrumbs and gently sauté them until they take on a nutty brown color.

Then add the other ingredients and given everything a good turn. Turn off the heat after about another minute.

Assembling and baking the dish

Take each head of escarole (or half) and gingerly open it, cut side up, spreading the leaves our flat. Divide the filling among the escarole, leaving some margins on all sides.

Then you have a choice: You can either re-form the escarole into its original shape—a good choice if you’re using individual small heads of escarole—which is the classic method. But if you’re dealing with half heads, it’s easier to roll the escarole up lengthwise, starting from the stems.

Place the escarole in a baking dish. Sprinkle with more breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a hot (200C/400F) oven until they are heated through and have taken on a nice color, about a half hour.

Serve your scarola imbottita still warm, but not scalding hot, as a side dish or light main.

Notes

This recipe for scarola imbottita, only slightly adapted from the one found in Jeanne Caròla Francesconi’s classic La cucina napoletana, is pretty straightforward, even if it involves a number of steps. Just a few points to bear in mind: During the initial braising, be sure to keep the heat very low so the escarole doesn’t actually brown; you can add a few drops of water if you need to. A non-stick pan works very well for the purpose. If you like, some recipes have you parboil the escarole for just 5 minutes or so rather than braising it. Quicker and “cleaner”, but not as tasty in my opinion. In either case, be careful not to overcook the escarole during the initial braise and handle it gingerly as you stuff it, so it doesn’t break apart. And do be careful, too, when toasting the breadcrumbs. Apply gentle heat, as breadcrumbs can burn in the bat of an eye.

There’s actually another very common way to make scarola imbottita, which I suspect is actually the original version, where you stuff the escarole raw and then braise it on the stovetop. You’ll need to tie it up with string so the stuffing doesn’t fall out as you braise it. And even then, you’ll need to be careful, since the escarole tends to shrink as it cooks, loosening the strings. It’s not very difficult but a little fussy, especially when cooking with the enormous heads of escarole you are likely to find Stateside. The breadcrumbs are usually omitted as they tend to turn soggy in the braising, and often the flavorings are sprinkled among the leaves rather than all piled in the center.

And if you want, as for Sautéed Escarole or Escarole Pie, you can add raisins and pine nuts to your stuffing. Personally, I like to keep things simple and savory only occasionally mixing things up with something sweet. And of course, the dish is easily veganized. Just omit the anchovies. While they add an extra layer of umami, the olives and capers already add plenty of flavor.

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