In this period of the year we can find puntarelle at the market…they are beautiful; in the traditional recipe they are served with an anchovy sauce. Today we are going to season them with a nice vegan sause and we will serve them with orange and fennel to create a new version. 😉

Ingredients (for 4 people):

  • puntarelle 14,10 oz (leaves and heart)
  • ½ fennel
  • 1 orange
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 20 capers
  • extra virgin olive oil q.s.
  • 1 coffee spoon of mustard
  • dry red pepper q.s.
  • salt q.s.
  • pepper q.s.

Steps:

  1. Wash all vegetables.
  2. Slice the heart lengthwise in very narrow pieces.
  3. Then soak in ice water until leaves become curly (about 2 hours).
  4. Meanwhile, cook the leaves: let them boil in water for about ten minutes; they will be served together with the raw salad.
  5. Cool and squeeze to eliminate the water in excess.
  6. Heat a pan with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic and a coffee spoon of dry red pepper.
  7. Sauté the boiled leaves; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in half coffee spoon of salt.
  8. Now prepare the accompanying sauce for puntarelle: finely chop a clove of garlic…it has to become a cream.
  9. Peal the orange: with a sharp knife, remove the peel and white pith. Working over a salad bowl, cut the segments from their surrounding membrane; sqeeze the part that remain and put the juice in a small jar.
  10. Mince the capers.
  11. In the jar with orange juice, add three more parts of extra virgin olive oil, capers, garlic, a coffee spoon of mustard and a pinch of salt; make an emulsion by shaking the jar.
  12. Drain and dry puntarelle, which must have been curly.
  13. Cut half fennel very thin.
  14. Put the salad in a bowl and season with the sauce, add orange and fennel and mix well.
  15. Serve raw puntarelle together with the sauteed leaves.