Maybe It’s Time to Set Your Salad on Fire

I recalibrate in January (we don’t say “resolutions” in our house). Right after the holidays, I am wildly enthusiastic about vegetables. Winter salads and sheet pans of roasted roots go into heavy rotation. But a couple of weeks into the new year, even these good things can start to taste predictable.

When that happens, I know it’s time to flip the paradigm and roast my salad greens.

Cooking lettuce feels so subversive. Maybe that’s why I like it. But I’m not alone in this approach. When Chinese cooks stir-fry iceberg, it’s an ingenious liberation from the wedge. And grilled romaine set on anchovy-garlic toast turns the Caesar routine on its head.

Hearty bitter-leaning chicories — endive, radicchio, and escarole — are particularly suited to cooking. It softens their bite. And these supermarket chicories are also great keepers in a winter larder.

American cooks used to think of bitter greens as an acquired taste. But modern palates have adopted bitterness wholeheartedly. How’s that Negroni? And besides, many winter vegetables — carrots, parsnips, beets, squash, yams — get super sweet when roasted, so a tad of bitter on the plate adds balance.

One of my favorite “roasted salads” starts with a good-sized whole radicchio. Forget about the usual torn bits tossed into a tired mesclun mix. Roasting it in thick wedges is a bold move that gives it the starring role it deserves. Try it next to roasted parsnips or with a dollop of ricotta drizzled with honey.

Creamy rich endive gratins are classic bistro fare in France. But I have a straightforward version that’s deeply satisfying and takes way less effort.

Here I was thinking about subversiveness and roasted greens when this Italian woman roasting a whole escarole popped up in my Instagram feed. She turned out to be Renata Briano, who describes herself as “mamma, naturalista, antifascista, and food blogger,” and is a member of the European Parliament. According to her Instagram, her philosophy is “in cucina si può cambiare il mondo.”

I watched her, captivated, as she tucked the Sicilian mixture of olives, capers, pine nuts, and raisins between the leaves. This seemed crazy or genius or both. I had to try it.

Roasting the escarole offers a range of textures that won’t be achieved with a traditional sauté. Topping the whole thing with breadcrumbs and parmesan adds a crunchy frico-like finish. The outside leaves get crispy, and the inside is layered with nuggets of sweet, salt, acid, and bitter.

Yes, it’s kind of nutty to truss a head of lettuce, but it’s worth it. This is certainly a year to embrace not doing the same old same old.

SICILIAN STUFFED ROASTED ESCAROLE
Makes 2 servings

½ head escarole, cut in half lengthwise
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
¼ cup pine nuts
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 black olives, pitted and chopped
3 Tbsp. golden raisins or chopped dates
1 Tbsp. capers
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup breadcrumbs
Freshly ground black pepper
Dollop of tomato sauce, optional

1. Heat the oven to 425° If you have convection, this is a time to use it.
2. Cut the escarole in half lengthwise, so leaves stay attached to the core. Rinse the escarole with cold water between the leaves but keeping the half intact. Drain and pat dry.
3. Warm the olive oil in a small skillet, add the pine nuts and garlic, and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan until the nuts are toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the olives, raisins, and capers and season with fresh pepper. Stir in the parsley. The olives and capers are salty, so no need to add salt to the filling.
4. Lay the escarole on your work surface, cut side up, and tuck spoonfuls of the pine nut-raisin mixture between the leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Tie the head together with string into a compact bundle. Drizzle a roasting pan with oil and place the escarole on top, cut side down. Then drizzle the head with oil. If some of the filling escapes, just scoot it under the head. Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan together and scatter over the top.
5. Roast until the escarole wilts and the cheesy breadcrumbs toast, about 20 minutes. If the crumbs are lagging, run the whole thing under the broiler. Serve warm, with tomato sauce if desired.

ROASTED ENDIVE WITH MUSTARD SOUR CREAM
Makes 2 servings

2 heads endive, halved through their cores
1½ Tbsp. butter, melted
Kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup sour cream, crème fraiche, or Greek yogurt
½ shallot, finely minced
1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. minced parsley

1. Heat the oven to 425° Brush the endive with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Place the endive cut side down in a small roasting pan or gratin dish. Roast until a knife easily pierces the core, about 20 minutes.
2. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over the endive or serve on the side.

ROASTED RADICCHIO WITH ROSEMARY, GARLIC, AND HONEY
Makes 2-4 servings

1 head radicchio
Kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp. minced rosemary
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 Tbsp. honey (or more)
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 450° F. Quarter the radicchio head lengthwise through the core (if the head is large, cut into 6 wedges). Stir 1 tablespoon kosher salt into a bowl of ice water until dissolved, add the radicchio wedges, and soak for 30 minutes; drain and pat dry with paper towels. (The ice and salt temper the radicchio’s assertiveness.)
2. Meanwhile, in a small pan, warm the garlic and rosemary in the olive oil over low heat until the garlic is soft, about 3 minutes. Scoop the soft garlic from the oil. Tuck the garlic slices between the leaves of radicchio and brush the wedges with some of the flavored oil (save the rest of the oil for the dressing.)
3. Season the radicchio with pepper. Place the lemon cut side down on the pan. Roast until radicchio is wilted and crisped, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Squeeze the lemon over the radicchio. (The lemon will be hot; a nifty hack is to use tongs to squeeze them.)
4. Whisk the honey and vinegar into the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the dressing over the radicchio. Serve warm or at room temperature.