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–+ servings
Puntarelle in a bowl with dressing.
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Puntarelle Alla Romana

Try this delicious Puntarelle salad with delicious garlic anchovy dressing and you'll be hooked!
Prep Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Svi

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

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 2448IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg