We get a few heads of escarole each year in our csa box. I usually saute it in olive oil with garlic until it’s nicely wilted and serve it with parmesan cheese. This works just fine. Recently, The Golden Earthworm Farm, of which we are csa members, posted a link to several recipes for escarole from Martha Stewart. Tonight, I made Whole Wheat Pasta with Escarole and Gorgonzola Cheese.

I really enjoyed this dish for it’s heartiness and bold flavors, but it’s not for everyone. It was not for my husband or my daughter. Escarole can be bitter. I enjoy semi-bitter things like tonic water, radicchio, endives, dark coffee and escarole. I don’t like very bitter things, like Campari and certain herbal remedies.

Use this as your gauge for whether you’d like this dish or not: Do you like Campari straight up? You’ll love this (yay! now you know what to do with that giant head of escarole). Radicchio salad and gin & tonics go down easy? Definitely worth a try. Endives make you shudder? You should probably skip this one.