These Puntarelle Alla Romana or curly Puntarelle salad is one of a kind. It's made with Puntarelle chicory and delicious garlic anchovy dressing. It’s one of the most traditional recipes from Roman cuisine.
If you can’t find Puntarelle you can still make this salad with other greens from chicory family. Try it once, and I promise, you’ll be hooked.
Table Of Contents
What is Puntarelle?
Puntarelle is a type of chicory, very popular in Italy, particularly in the central regions such as Lazio and Campania. They have a pleasantly bitter taste, similar to other chicory varieties. Puntarelle can be prepared in many different ways. But the most popular and common way to enjoy them is raw in a salad, Puntarelle Alla Romana being the most popular and IMHO delicious of all.
The name "puntarelle" originates from the Italian word "punta," which means "point" or "tip." This name refers to the characteristic shape of the vegetable's inner stalks, which are slender and slightly curled, resembling small, pointed shoots or "punte."
Ingredients
- Puntarelle - a head of fresh puntarelle. Look for one with big thick stems and minimal leafy fronds. If you can only find ones with leaves/fronds, choose the one with the largest stalk base which is used to make the salad - you'll remove most of the leaves, but don’t throw them away.
- Extra virgin olive oil - high quality evo oil will make the best dressing.
- Anchovies - again, quality is key. Even though you’re going to blend anchovies to make the dressing, make sure to use whole anchovies and not the ready–to-use paste.
- Garlic - use from 1-2 garlic cloves depending on how strong you like the garlic taste.
- White wine vinegar - it’s best to not substitute is with other vinegars. Start with a smaller amount, taste and add more.
- Salt, pepper - add at the end if needed. Keep in mind anchovies will provide saltiness of their own.
How To Make - Step By Step
Trim Puntarelle. Cut off the bottom and remove the green fronds.
NOTE: If your Puntarelle head has nice green outer leaves/fronds, don’t throw them away. Rinse them, cut in half, boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes than sautee in a pan with olive oil, garlic and hot pepper.
Separate the stalks and strip. Using a small sharp knife cut each stalk in half then work each half by cutting a thin strip.
TOP TIP: cut the angles only this way you’ll have thin strips kind of a triangular shape in the cut. This process will take some time (20-30 minutes depending on the size of the Puntarelle head). The pay off? Beautiful thin, super crunchy and curly strips.
If you don’t have patience or time cut them on a cutting board in a Julienne cut. There’s also a tool that looks like a wire net that it used to cut Puntarelle faster, but it’s rather hard to find.
Soak in cold water. Place Puntarelle strips in a bowl with cold water. Continue with the remaining stalks.
Soaking puntarelle strips in a cold water curl them and help get rid of excessive bitterness.
Once you’ve stripped all the stalks, drain water and fill with fresh water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Taste puntarelle. If they’re too bitter change the water again. If you’re satisfied with the bitterness add 1-2 cups of ice and let rest for 1 hour or even in the fridge overnight.
The Why Behind It. Puntarelle strips are soaked in ice water, causing them to curl further and enhancing their crispness. Changing water helps remove excessive bitterness of the chicory but can be skipped if desired.
Spin dry. When ready to make the salad, drain puntarelle and dry them as much as possible using a salad spinner.
Prepare the dressing. Blend all ingredients for the dressing until smooth and creamy. Taste, adjust for salt and pepper. Add a bit more vinegar if you feel like it.
Pour the dressing over puntarelle just before serving. Add freshly grind pepper.
Puntarelle Substitutes
Puntarelle are not always easy to find. But the doesn't mean that you can't make this salad with very similar flavor profile! In fact, it's mostly the dressing that makes people fall over it.
Here are 4 greens that offer a similar pleasantly bitter flavor and crisp texture that can substitute puntarelle in this salad.
- Escarole - thinly sliced and seasoned with garlic anchovy dressing.
- Endive and chicory - a combination of endive and chicory.
- Frisée or Curly Endive
- Radicchio
How To Serve
Puntarelle Alla Romana can be served as a side dish or as whole meal adding a poached or soft-boiled egg. My lunch another day using escarole instead of puntarelle.
If you love Puntarelle Alla Romana, try also Romanesco Broccoli prepared with the same delicious garlic anchovy sauce!
More Roman Recipes To Try
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Full Recipe
Puntarelle Alla Romana
Ingredients
- 1 head puntarelle , alternatively escarole, endive, radicchio, curly escarole
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil , 110 grams
- 10 anchovies , 25 grams
- 1 garlic clove , or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon vinegar , 12 grams or more to taste
- Salt pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim Puntarelle. Cut off the bottom and remove the green fronds.NOTE: If your Puntarelle head has nice green outer leaves/fronds, don’t throw them away. Rinse them, cut in half, boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes than sautee in a pan with olive oil, garlic and hot pepper.
- Separate the stalks and strip. Using a small sharp knife cut each stalk in half then work each half by cutting a thin strip.
- TOP TIP: cut the angles only this way you’ll have thin strips kind of a triangular shape in the cut. This process will take some time (20-30 minutes depending on the size of the Puntarelle head). The pay off? Beautiful thin, super crunchy and curly strips. If you don’t have patience or time cut them on a cutting board in a Julienne cut. There’s also a tool that looks like a wire net that it used to cut Puntarelle faster, but it’s rather hard to find.
- Soak in cold water. Place Puntarelle strips in a bowl with cold water. Continue with the remaining stalks. Soaking puntarelle strips in a cold water curl them and help get rid of excessive bitterness.
- Once you’ve stripped all the stalks, drain water and fill with fresh water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Taste puntarelle. If they’re too bitter change the water again. If you’re satisfied with the bitterness add 1-2 cups of ice and let rest for 1 hour or even in the fridge overnight.
- Spin dry. When ready to make the salad, drain puntarelle and dry them as much as possible using a salad spinner.
- Prepare the dressing. Blend all ingredients for the dressing until smooth and creamy. Taste, adjust for salt and pepper. Add a bit more vinegar if you feel like it. Pour the dressing over putarelle ans serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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