Escarole: Italian Love Affair with Bitter Greens

As a home gardener, I get to choose what to grow and how I will use it in the kitchen. The Italian gardeners have this gift of growing and enjoying bitter greens. For a mild bitter green I fell in love with escarole. It looks like a head of lettuce with a slight bitter bite. Television chef Mario Batali televised this soup with meatballs. It was so simple and direct I had to try. It is now an annual affair!

Now I grow escarole during our Central Florida fall season to enjoy this sublime soup in late winter.

I also skip making the homemade meatballs, chicken stock, or croutons. Instead it takes but a half hour to make a soup that feed six. This soup fits my EVR 4 Star rating [Effort vs. Reward]

Escarole Meatball Soup

There’s hardly a recipe at all:

You need 6 quarts of chicken stock, 1 head of escarole [or chard, or kale], 2 cups of meatballs, 2 cups of croutons.

Soak and rinse the escarole well, then cut into 1/2 inch ribbons. Simmer the escarole for about 15 minutes in the chicken stock. Add in the meatballs [if they are large, cut them to spoon size]. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve hot with croutons and parmesan.

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Asian Twist: Escarole Meatball Soup with Udon

This is a perfect base for noodle soup. It’s perfect with meatballs, or change out with shiitake mushrooms that have been steeped in boiling water for 15 minutes, then add the mushroom water to the chicken stock and start simmering the escarole along with the mushrooms.

I changed up the recipe with a Japanese take: cook thick udon noodles separately and while piping hot place in soup bowls, then ladle in the soup. Serve with minced scallions, and if you like, a fistful of basil, mint, and/or cilantro.

Recipe adapted by B. Hettig