Recently I must have come across at least 15 recipes with escarole. Honestly, I feel like escarole has become the new kale and nobody told me! It made me realize I had never actually bought escarole before, so I had to give it a try. Escarole is in the same family as endives but it just has a hint of that bitter flavor. It is also much higher in fiber than regular green lettuce. Usually, the inner leaves are used for salad as they are less bitter, and the outer leaves are used for soups.
I couldn’t resist this particular recipe because it has two of my favorite ingredients: firstly, parmesan–need I say more? Everything taste better with parmesan, and secondly, Meyer lemons, which are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin and are much less acidic than regular lemons. I love their sweet flavor and they’re easily found in most grocery stores. This Parmesan Meyer Lemon Escarole Salad is really bursting with flavors, and is definitely a great starter for any meal.
- Grated zest of 3 Meyer lemons
- ⅓ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano coarsely grated
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
- ½ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, or more to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
- 16 cups escarole, washed, dried, and torn into rough pieces
- Put lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor or in a blender.
- Blend about 1 minute.
- With the motor still running, slowly add the olive oil.
- In a big salad bowl, toss escarole with about ⅔ of the dressing. Taste and add more dressing if needed.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Season again if needed with salt and pepper.
Leave a Reply