What Exactly Is Italian Puntarelle?

When you think about Italian cuisine, the first thoughts that pop into your mind are probably about foods like meatballs or pasta. However, the role that vegetables play in Italian cuisine is major, and cannot be ignored. Spizzico Italian Kitchen tells us that eggplant is also a prevalent feature of Italian cuisine, along with the tomato (which, though it's technically a fruit, is used as a culinary vegetable, per Eufic). Both tomatoes and eggplant come together in this hearty eggplant parmesan recipe. Celery shows up in numerous Italian dishes, including black celery parmigiana and stuffed celery.

Spizzico Italian Kitchen also says that chicory is commonly used in traditional Italian cuisine. Chicory, a bitter root vegetable, is both mixed into sauces and chopped up for salads. However, there is a specific type of chicory that has become a feature of the Italian dining table, per La Cucina Italiana. This special sprout is a seasonal staple at restaurants all around Rome.

According to La Cucina Italiana, puntarelle is its own variety of chicory. Puntarelle is actually the name given to the inner leaves of Catalonian chicory, as the majority of the Catalonian chicory plant is bitter to the point of being inedible. Its dense inner sprouts, however, can be delicious, but they need to be subjected to a rather arduous process first.

In order to prepare your puntarelle, you first need to strip the leaves off of your Catalonian chicory, per Fine Dining Lovers. Underneath these leaves, you'll find the puntarelle, which are the lightly colored hollow stalks. Cut them away from the rest of the leaf, then cut each individual stock into strips. These strips will then need to take an hour-long ice bath, during which time they will slightly curl. While chicory is often included in salad, as is the case in this original cobb salad recipe, properly prepared puntarelle is most commonly enjoyed on its own.

From November until April, puntarelle can be found at essentially every restaurant in Rome, per La Cucina Italiana. Though the intensive process that goes into getting this bitter leaf ready to eat may be intimidating, if you ever find yourself in Rome, you'll find tables overflowing with pre-prepared puntarelle at the local markets (via Summer in Italy).

Different sources have slightly different opinions as to what exactly should go into the dressing for your puntarelle, though there are a few ingredients that stay consistent across recipes. La Cucina Italiana, for example, recommends that you mash together anchovies, garlic, olive oil, and salt into a thick, flavorful sauce. In Rome, puntarelle will sometimes be served with chili powder, for a little extra kick. Fine Dining Lovers tells us that you could also add a little acid to the sauce by introducing vinegar or lemon juice to the mixture.