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Scarola alla napoletana
Sautéed escarole with olives and raisins
Scarola alla napoletana: Naples's sautéed escarole with olives, capers, pine nuts and raisins
Scarola alla napoletana is a Neapolitan Christmas Eve side dish, also cooked all winter: tender escarole sautéed with garlic, black Gaeta olives, capers, pine nuts and raisins, a balance of bitter, salty and sweet that reflects the Arab influence on southern Italian cooking. It is the same filling used in the Christmas pizza di scarola, and families often serve it with fried fish. Contains pine nuts. Chef's tip: dry the washed escarole well before it goes in the pan; wet leaves splash and steam rather than sauté.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 head escaroleabout 600 g, washed, dried and roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlicsliced
- 1 ¾ oz black olivespitted
- 1 tbsp capersrinsed
- ⅞ oz pine nuts
- ⅞ oz raisinssoaked in warm water
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and cook 2 cloves garlic for 1 minute, until pale gold.
1 minStep 2: Add ⅞ oz pine nuts and toast for 1 minute, then add 1 ¾ oz black olives, 1 tbsp capers and the drained ⅞ oz raisins.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 head escarole a handful at a time, stirring as it wilts. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and cook for 3–5 minutes more, until tender and the liquid has evaporated. Common mistake: overcooking; the escarole should be soft but still green.
10 minStep 4: Season with ½ tsp salt, tasting first, as the olives and capers are salty. Serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does scarola alla napoletana take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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