Cicoria Ripassata – Sauteed Roman Style Chicory

If there is one thing that I love that Italians do beautifully, it’s their vegetable side dishes. Cicoria Ripassata is a vegetable seen on most Roman restaurant menus and it’s usually my go-to when I want something packed full of flavour, but also something that’s a strong distraction to help me avoid the roast potatoes.

There are a few varieties of chicory and you might find a couple of those that you could use for this recipe at your local market. There is also a salad variety; radicchio & endive are part of the chicory family and don’t forget the chicory type used to make Puntarelle.

The chicory I bought is local and grown in the region of Lazio. I’m always happy knowing I am buying local produce that hasn’t travelled great distances to get to my local market. Wild chicory leaves have a bitter taste (some more than others) and this can be reduced by cooking the chicory leaves first and then discarding the water. The Roman cooking method does this and the name of the recipe, ‘cicoria ripassata’, means it is cooked twice. The chicory is cooked a second time in a frying pan. It is tossed with olive oil, garlic, anchovies and a little chilli pepper, and this is where the word ‘ripassata’ comes into play – as it’s this which is the second part of cooking the chicory.

Sauteed Roman style chicory is a delicious side dish but you can also find it on pizza or as a filling for panini. You could add it to pasta or also use it to create a tasty frittata.  

The quantity of chicory is hard to write down in a recipe because I usually just buy a big bunch at the market. The quantity though that I used for this recipe was 750g and it is plenty for 4-6 portions.

Cicoria Ripassata

Ingredients

• 750g Chicory
• 2 tblsp salt
• 60ml Olive Oil
• 1 garlic clove, whole
• 1 small chilli pepper
• 3 anchovy fillets

Method

1. Cut the ends of the chicory stalks with a sharp knife. Carefully wash the chicory leaves in the kitchen sink filled with cold water.
2. Place the chicory in a saucepan filled with salted water and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for about 10 minutes and then drain. Leave to cool a little and then squeeze it well so that it loses as much water as possible.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the whole garlic clove, the chopped chilli pepper and the anchovy fillets. Fry together until the anchovy fillets break up and ‘dissolve’ into the oil.
4. When the garlic is golden in color, add the chicory leaves and toss in the pan for about 5 minutes over a high heat ensuring the chicory leaves are covered well with the oil mixture.
5. Remove the garlic clove and serve hot or warm. You can add more salt if you feel it’s necessary but taste the chicory first before doing so.

CICORIA RIPASSATA

Da quando abito a Roma, la Cicoria Ripassata è diventato uno dei miei contorni preferiti. La cicoria è una verdura di umile origini e dal sapore amaro, a volte quasi fastidioso. Però è buonissima e a Roma, è decisamente uno dei piatti piu tipici e tradizionali, sia cotta lessa all’agro che ripassata in padella con aglio e peperoncino.

Cicoria Ripassata è un delizioso contorno ma puoi anche trovarlo sulla pizza o come ripieno per i panini. Potresti aggiungerlo alla pasta o usarlo anche per creare una gustosa frittata.

Ingredienti

• 750g cicoria
• 2 cucchiai di sale
• 60ml olio d’oliva
• 1 spicchio d’aglio
• 3 filetti acciuga
• 1 peperoncino

1. Tagliare le estremità degli steli di cicoria con un coltello affilato. Lavare accuratamente le foglie di cicoria nel lavello della cucina riempito con acqua fredda. Mettere la cicoria in una pentola piena d’acqua salata e portare ad ebollizione.
2. Lasciare bollire per circa 10 minuti e poi scolare. Lasciare raffreddare un po’ e poi strizzarlo bene in modo da perdere più acqua possibile.
3. Scaldare l’olio in una padella grande, quindi aggiungere l’intero spicchio d’aglio, il peperoncino tritato e i filetti di acciughe. Friggere fino a quando i filetti di acciuga si sciolgono nell’olio. Quando l’aglio ha un colore dorato, aggiungere le foglie di cicoria e cuocere nella padella per circa 5 minuti a fuoco alto, assicurando che le foglie di cicoria siano ben coperte con l’olio.
4. Rimuovere lo spicchio d’aglio e servire caldo. Puoi aggiungere più sale se ritieni che sia necessario ma assaggiare prima la cicoria prima di farlo.