Cooking frisée?
When I cleaned a head of frisée for salad last night, I had a lot of the darker green outer leaves left that were a bit more bitter and sturdy than I wanted in a salad. But they were in such nice shape, I wondered if they deserved better than going into the compost. Since frisée is a close relative of escarole, I thought perhaps I could cook the leave similarly. Has anyone tried this?
This is home grown frisée, so I probably have more of the outer leaves than what you get commercially. I guess the bottom line is that I should just try it.
Karen_Schaffer
Dec 09, 2006 01:24AM
I've wilted it in duck fat and it was delicious.
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Well, what wouldn't be yummy wilted in duck fat? I think we have another lethal dish to add to our "artery-clogging menu." At least there are some greens involved here.
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Now there's a thought. And I even have some in the freezer. Mmmm.
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I'm guessing that what you have is not so much frisee as it is curly endive, sometimes called chicory. The leaves are delicious in a salad with an assertively savory dressing (I put an anchovy-heavy Caesar salad dressing and garlic croutons on them), and are also nice sauteed lightly in olive oil with salt and pepper, with some lemon juice added off the heat.
I've never tried, but I bet you could chop them up and put them into a bean soup just as you would escarole.
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I've found that it's almost impossible to find true frisee here, even at our excelllent farmers' market. I grow some, but the season is very short.
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There are many varieties of frisée available, some with much finer leaves than others. Perhaps that's the difference you're seeing? Or the center blanching, which is a product more of technique than variety? Both frisée and escarole are Cichorium endivia. Curly endive is the same as frisée.
Here's a useful link:
http://www.floridata.com/ref/C/cich_end.cfm
Here's a fun link to a French catalog. The one I'm harvesting right now is 3rd on the top, Ruffec. I also have de Meaux, Fine de Louviers, and Naomi which isn't pictured here.
http://www.graines-baumaux.fr/
(Hmm, that may not take you directly to the page. You may need to click 'Graines Potageres', then 'Chicorées', then 'Frisées'.)
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I got some at Marsh on Thurs. The cashier did not know what it was and there was not porduce code for it. May be a flash in the pan but maybe it will be around for awhile. I'll check again in the week.
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For any slightly bitter or kinda tough green I like to start w/ and onion & garlic base w/ if possible bacon fat or the olive oil you like, then toss lots of wet greens and kinda braise. Lots of pepper or hot pepper flakes and you are enjoying a classic almost life infusing dish.
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Put a pot on to heat with some chopped-up bacon in it. When the bacon is about cooked, put in your greens with a bit of water and a dash of salt, white wine, broth or all three, whatever. When it sizzles, put the lid on and turn the heat down to a slow and steady simmer for about fifteen or twenty minutes. The suggestion of red pepper flakes is a good one, too...
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basically my suggestion, but i also have a soft-poached egg on top.
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And you've done this with frisée leaves? (That's my basic question.)
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I cooked them with smoked duck fat, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon. They were great. They wilted down more than escarole does, but still made a fine serving. Now I regret all those leaves I've composted over the years!
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And just in case someone looks at this in the future for ideas, today I sauteed frisee leaves for a frittata (along with mushrooms, shallots, and leftover roasted veggies). Delicious.
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