A medley of textures and flavors, this dish has a nice amount of bitter and tart to offset the sweet elements, keeping it light. This recipe would work well on the Thanksgiving table. If you do not have dates, apples work also. See Chef’s Notes.
INGREDIENTS:
1 head escarole, base cut off and chopped, washed, drained (some water remaining on leaves is needed for cooking) ½ tablespoon sugar, plus a pinch or two more 1-2 tablespoons butter Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar 1 recipe Butternut Squash “Croutons”, kept warm 12 dates (a drier kind such as Medjool works best here) pitted, and torn, or cut* into ¼-inch strips Scant ½ cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped Salt and Pepper to taste Neutral flavored oil as needed
METHOD:
Heat a 10 or 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Using a non-stick pan makes things easier.
When the pan is hot, sprinkle evenly with the sugar. Wait for the sugar to caramelize-it will turn golden-brown and give off the characteristic smell. Be careful, since there is so little of it, it can go from caramelized to burnt quickly. As soon as the sugar has all caramelized, add in the butter and swirl the pan so it combines with the sugar.
As soon as the butter has melted, fill the pan with escarole. Use tongs to turn it in the sugar butter, running the leaves across the pan boom to “scrape” up any sugar stuck to the pan.
The escarole will wilt and the volume in the pan will shrink. Add the rest of the escarole and sprinkle with a pinch or two more sugar, then use tongs to turn the fresh escarole to the bottom of the pile. Cook, turning every so often, until the pile of escarole has wilted, and colored a little. Season with salt and pepper. If the pan seems too dry at any point, make a little space in the center of the pan and add a little oil to slick the pan.
Drizzle the vinegar over the escarole, and stir with tongs to coat evenly. Cook until the liquid has reduced entirely or a glaze has formed. Scatter the dates evenly over the pan, toss to mix, then add the squash croutons, spreading evenly over the surface. Toss to mix in, heat through, and taste for salt and pepper, seasoning if needed. Scatter with almonds, toss to combine, and serve.
Chef’s Notes: *If you cut the dates, rub a sharp thin-bladed knife with a little neutral flavored oil to keep the dates from sticking to it. Apples will work splendidly in this recipe as well. You can use them in lieu of the dates, or in addition to them. In lieu of, just cut enough crisp, sweet-tart apples to yield a heaping 1/2 –cup of ¼-inch cubes and toss them in with the squash croutons. You want them still crisp, and even cold is great for contrast. You could also just add them and retain the dates, just combine both sets of instructions. If you have boiled cider (a syrup of reduced cider that is an East Coast traditional food item), you could drizzle a little of that on near the end of the cooking, and you could substitute cider vinegar for the others, which will make the tart element a bit more bracing.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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