Like most of the edible greens, Escarole is a dark leafy nutritional powerhouse that can be prepared in so many variations – you may have already seen and enjoyed our recipe for Escarole & Beans, so here we are presenting another: Escarole Pie. This simple-to-make and highly delectable dish is another peasant meal that requires minimal work and supplies maximum satisfaction and nutrients.

The preparation of this dish starts with creating the crust of the pie. Note that you have two options here: (1) making the crust from scratch, which we cover in our Simple Crust post, or (2) store-bought crust.

If you are using the store-bought variety, remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to use, so it has time to warm up. If rolled out cold, it will most likely tear. If you are making everything from scratch, please see our post about making your own crust.

Escarole Pie Ingredients

• 2 Large heads of washed Escarole, chopped as if it were going into a salad.
• 10 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and cut into thick slices
• 1 Small can of Anchovies
• 1 Can of black olives, drained and cut into thin slices
• 1 Cup chopped Walnuts

Escarole Pie Preparation

Steaming the Escarole

Place 3 inches of cold tap water, plus the washed and chopped escarole, into a 12 Quart stock pot – place over a medium-low flame – cover and let the escarole steam, churning it over with a long cooking spoon every few minutes so it steams evenly.

Preparing the Sauté

While the escarole is steaming, place ¼” of Olive Oil in the bottom of a good-sized sauce pot (8 to 12 quart capacity)… in this olive oil, you’ll want to sauté your garlic to a light golden brown – once this is done, add the olives, walnuts and anchovies. Lower the flame/heat to low and gently cook this mixture until the walnuts are soft and the anchovy has literally broken down and spread out throughout the mixture. Once the walnuts are soft, turn off the stove top, and check how your escarole is steaming.

Draining The Escarole & Combining All Ingredients

1. If the escarole is nice and soft to the touch, remove from heat and drain it out through a large colander in the sink. Using a potato masher, squeeze as much water out of the escarole as possible. Then add the steamed escarole to the ingredients in the other pot, and mix the ingredients thoroughly over a medium heat (about 5 to 10 minutes tops). This will meld the flavors together.
2. Roll out your pie crust into a large baking dish, and trim to fit. By the way, I prefer a clear pie-baking dish, as you can easily see how the pie crust browns, which will tell you that it’s done.
3. Add your ingredients and spread out evenly, then cover the pie with the ‘dough-lid’… poke some tiny holes into the dough-lid with a fork, so it can let off steam while it bakes.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and then bake the escarole pie until the crust is golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let cool on the stove top for 30 minutes. Serves 2 to 4.