FOOD & WINE
Mid-winter pleasure: puntarelle
The holidays are over and we're midway into January. The month may be long and cold, but it is also the start of puntarelle season. I have only just discovered this vegetable, but, like someone in love, I don't remember what life was like before I tasted a dish made from puntarelle-the inner shoots of the Roman chicory plant (cicoriacatologna spigata).
The word puntarelle comes from Roman dialect and simply means ‘shoots' or ‘little pointers.' Puntarelle is not always understood outside of Rome, unless you are one of the lucky ones who know such wonderful dishes as this, dressed with an anchovy garlic pesto. Chicory is grown in the cold months, after the first frost. The frosty temperatures give the shoots their pleasantly bitter tones.
Until recently, this type of chicory wasn't found much outside of Rome, but now you can generally find it in season at good markets and fruit shops in Florence, although not always in the larger commercial supermarkets. (If you want to sound clever at the market, ask for un cespo di cicoriacatalogna spigata.) In Rome, the inner leaves-the puntarelle-are usually cut into thin strips, lengthwise, and the pieces plunged into ice water until they curl (about 10 minutes), then dressed with a pesto of anchovy and garlic.
The outer leaves of the chicory plant, with their classic bitterness, packed with iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C, are good sautéed with garlic, olive oil and peperoncino and served as a side dish with roast chicken. These outer leaves also make a good pasta dish: prepare as above, and cook some penne. Two minutes before the pasta is done, toss it into the pan with the leaves, adding a bit of the pasta-cooking water. Turn off the flame and add grated aged pecorino.
The prize, however, are the crunchy, slightly bitter shoots that make a to-die-for salad. Peel back the long outer leaves to reveal the heart of the vegetable, the cluster of shoots, which look rather like pale curvy asparagus, with a colour between white and green.
If you find a fresh head of cicoriacatalogna, check inside that it is nicely full of puntarelle. You shouldn't have to pay more than two euro for a whole plant that will easily yield an antipasto for four people. I shop at the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio whenever I can and choose the best-looking puntarelle I can find, not always from the same stall.
RECIPE AND WINE MATCH
PUNTARELLE dressed with anchovy garlic PESTO
First, cut off the outer leaves. Cut each leaf close to the tough base, working around the head. Once you have finished cutting the outer leaves, set them aside for penne pasta or roast chicken.
Now work higher up the plant to cut off the puntarelle (the shoots), one at a time, avoiding the base of the plant, which you will discard. Don't be greedy and cut too low, close to the core; if you do you will have inedible woody ends. Cut where the shoots are tender and you will have a sweet, salty and slightly bitter crisp taste sensation.
Next, wash and cut the shoots into two or three pieces lengthways. I like them thick as they keep their crunch and flavour. (The Roman practice of bathing the shoots in ice water takes away some of the flavour, I think.) Now salt the puntarelle very lightly and toss with a couple of tablespoons of good white wine vinegar.
Chop up as many anchovies as you dare. I use those packed in olive oil rather than the salted variety to add a nice, slippery texture against the crunch of the shoots. I prefer a slight chunkiness to a smooth paste, so I chop the anchovies coarsely. Half a clove of garlic is enough to help bring out the flavour and offset the pleasant bitter undertone of the puntarelle. Then finish with lashings of good extra-virgin olive oil, a bit of cracked pepper and a handful of salted capers. I like being decadent and eating this dish with my fingers: è più forte di me!
What to drink? The bitter, salty edge to this dish calls for a wine that can stand up to these strong sensations. Instead of a fresh, grassy white, I want something more aromatic, still with a good acidity. So I look to the Alto Adige region and choose a Traminer Aromatico by Franz Haas, which complements the saltiness of the anchovies and the slight bitterness of the puntarelle with its persistency and intense floral notes.
BUON APPETITO!
Originally from New Zealand, Rachel Priestley is a wine and food consultant. She has opened Italian restaurants and wine bars in Lombardy, Latina, Vienna, and Naples, in addition to having worked as director of gastronomy for Antinori wines for four years. Passionate about Italian food, wine and culture, she is the owner of Santa Croce Wine Company in Florence. You can contact Rachel at info@rachelpriestley.com
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