This Puntarelle alla Romana recipe is a classic Roman winter salad. It is made from a member of the chicory family called Cicoria Catalogna. The chicory is crunchy and a little bitter. It is cut very thin, and the traditional dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and vinegar.
Only the shoots inside the vegetable are used to make this Puntarelle salad.
The name Puntarelle means small pointed tips; its shoots are long and straight, resembling white asparagus.
Crunchy, tender, and slightly bitter, they are eaten raw.
The Puntarelle are seasoned with an anchovy vinaigrette; it perfectly contrasts their slightly bitter taste.
They are usually in season from February to Early Spring, but you can find them as early as October.
When you buy them, ensure they are fresh and that the outside leaves are solid and green.
You can check orange fennel salad or raw artichokes salad for more unusual Italian salad recipes.
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There are two main types of Puntarelle:
Puntarelle di Galatina
They are grown in Puglia, and their shoots are short.
Puntarelle di Gaeta
Also known as Puntarelle Romane, they are grown in Lazio, and their shoots are longer.
You can use either type to make this salad; however, the Puntarelle di Gaeta are the original for this recipe.
The main difference between the two is the length of the shoots. Taste and texture are the same.
Because the Puntarella di Gaeta are long, they will curl in cold water, while the Puntarelle di Galatina are too short and remain straight.
If you cannot find this delicious vegetable, you can make this salad with Endive Escarole.
Puntarelle di Galatina
Puntarelle di Gaeta
Ingredients
Besides the Puntarelle, you will need the ingredients for the anchovy vinaigrette:
- Anchovy fillets stored in salt: I prefer the anchovies stored in salt to the ones stored in olive oil, as you never know what quality of olive oil has been used.
- Clove of garlic: always use fresh garlic, not garlic powder
- White wine vinegar: you can replace it with apple vinegar, but do not use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar as their flavor will be too strong
- Good quality extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt: because the anchovies are salted, you usually don't need to add salt. Taste and add a pinch of salt only if necessary
See the recipe card for the quantity.
Instruction with step-by-step images
How to clean them
- Remove the outer leaves
Puntarelle di Galatina, Puglia
Puntarelle di Gaeta, Lazio
Hint: You can use the outside leaves for minestrone or soup.
- Cut the head of Puntarelle into thin strings
- Leave them to rest in a large bowl of iced water
Hint: these will not curl; they are too short. You need the longer Puntarelle Romane
How to make them curly
If you are using the Puntarelle di Gaeta from Lazio, here is how to make them curl:
In Rome, we use a specific tool called "taglia puntarelle". You can find it on the European amazon. It is helpful but not necessary.
It has a wired metal frame that forms small squares. We push the puntarelle through the frame to cut them into spaghetti size.
As a substitution, you can use a vegetable chopper.
This is how we use it.
- Cut the hard base of the shoot. The tender part of the shoot is hollow inside, so you can feel it just by squeezing the shoot with two fingers
- Push the individual stalks through the frame
Hint: If you do not have a puntarelle cutter, you can cut them with a knife.
- Once they are all cut into thin strips, leave them to rest in a bowl of ice water
- While you make the anchovy vinaigrette, they will slowly curl
Making the anchovy dressing
If you are using the anchovies stored in salt:
- Rinse the anchovies under running water to eliminate the salt.
- Remove the bone and fins from the anchovy fillets.
- Put the garlic, anchovies, extra virgin olive oil, and vinegar into a food processor
- Mix until you have a nice smooth, creamy sauce
Seasoning
- Drain and spin the puntarelle to remove all the water
- Season with the anchovy’s vinaigrette in a salad bowl
- Serve immediately as you want them to maintain their crunchy texture
How to serve them
In Italy, this is how they are served:
- As a Starter, Serve on small plates with a side of crunchy, toasted bread. The crisp salad paired with warm, crusty bread makes a refreshing and appetizing beginning to any meal.
- As a Side Dish: Perfect alongside main courses like Vitello Tonnato, roast beef, Veal Milanese, fish, or Arrosticini. Its crisp texture and tangy dressing cut through the richness of meats or complement the delicacy of fish, balancing the flavors of the meal.
Variation and substitution
I prefer to use anchovies preserved in salt rather than oil because I like to add my own extra virgin olive oil. Who knows what the quality of their oil is?
This delicious dressing has a lovely garlicky, umami, salty flavor. It can be used as a dressing for any other salad.
You can substitute the anchovies with Bottarga, cured salted mullet roe to make a more refined dish.
A classic Italian recipe with bottarga is spaghetti with bottarga di muggine.
Where to find them
Puntarelle are grown around Rome, in Puglia, and other areas of the South of Italy.
Earlier it was a very localized dish, but now you can find them in many more farmer markets, even in the North of Italy.
They are not easy to find here in France; I have to go to the farmer's market in Ventimiglia or a specialized Italian market on the Riviera.
If they don’t sell them at the grocery store in your country, you can replace them with Endives Escarole.
Equipment
These tools are good to have but they are not essential:
Top tips
- If you want them to curl, ensure the shoots are long. They are the Puntarelle di Gaeta originally from Lazio region
- For this recipe, we only use internal shoots. You can use the outside leaves for minestrone or soup.
- Let the shoots rest in cold water to curl
- If you cannot find them you can use Endive, Escarole.
If you are making the Puntarelle alla Romana, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.
📋Puntarelle alla Romana
Ingredients
- 1 puntarelle head
- 3 anchovies stored in salt best preserved in salt
- ½ clove peeled garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Instructions
Making the anchovies vinaigrette
- In a small bowl blend the anchovies with the garlic, the extra virgin olive oil and the vinegar3 anchovies stored in salt, ½ clove peeled garlic cloves, 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Cleaning the puntarelle
- Remove the outer leaves of the puntarelle1 puntarelle head
- Cut the puntarelle into thin slices
- Put them in ice water to curl
- Once they are curled, drain the puntarelle
- Place them on a serving bowl
- Season with the anchovies vinaigrette
- Stir and serve immediately
Video
Notes
- Look for Puntarelle in a specialized Italian market or substitute with Endive Escarole
- For curly Puntarelle buy Puntarelle di Gaeta
- Make sure they are fresh and that the outside leaves are strong and green
- Only use the shoots inside the vegetable head
- Make sure the shoots are long enough otherwise they will not curl
- Use the anchovies preserved in salt
- You do not need to add salt to the seasoning as the anchovies are already salted
- You can use as a dressing for any other salad.
Nutrition
What is EVOO oil
At first, I was perplexed when I saw the name EVOO, but then I realized that it is the short name for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
But do you know what Extra Virgin means?
Olive oil to be called Extra Virgin has to have specific characteristics.
"First cold-pressed olive oil" means:
- it is the oil extracted from the first pressing of the olive
- the olive pressing should be mechanic and at temperatures not above 27 C - 80 F
- acidity level should be below 0.8% per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Simple virgin olive oil has an acidity limit of 2% per 100 g (3.5 oz) measured by instruments.
The quality of the extra virgin olive oil, instead, is based on organoleptic measurements done by experts tasting.
Difference between extra virgin olive oil and olive oil
Regular olive oil is extracted with chemical processes to eliminate organoleptic defects.
After this process the oil loses its color and taste, it is therefore mixed with extra virgin olive oil to give back the resemblance of olive oil.
The amount of extra virgin olive oil added is just the minimum necessary.
Using a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil is very important, it can completely change the flavor of any recipe.
I use extra virgin olive oil when I add it raw, but never use the virgin olive oil to make homemade mayonnaise, it just doesn’t work.
This chart created by ‘Jamie’s Italian’, beautifully describes the different types of olive oil, where it comes from and how professionals taste it.
The chart is very comprehensive in its explanation and description.
Storing extra virgin olive oil
Fortunately, several of my relatives produce olive oil, and every year my mother sends me 2.5 gallons - 10 liters.
So I am always sure about the quality of my olive oil.
October is the month when olive oil is pressed, and we always wait for the new harvest to stock up for the year.
After 1 year the olive oil loses its flavor and increases in acidity, so we never buy more than 10 liters. If needed, we buy more during the year.
Olive oil should be stored in a dark container that is light-resistant. That is why it is sold in cans or greenish bottles.
Every week I pour the virgin olive oil into small bottles to bring it to the table.
Sometimes I flavor it with hot chili or infuse garlic or herbs. However, I use it within two days or add some lemon to prevent the risk of botulism (toxic bacteria).
Brian Jones
That sounds awesome, I have never heard of them or seen them but love finding about new 'stuff'... I love endive and chicory, such fab flavours so I'm sure I would love this. Fab video too!
Laura
Thank you Brian, I haven't made them for sometimes since I cannot find puntarelle here in France. Since I made them again I realized I should use this seasoning more often.
Melve
This is interesting, i love eating new dishes and I like to try this one but I think it's hard to find. I hope one day I will meet this puntarelle. Must saved for future use. Thanks for sharing.
Laura
Thank you Melve. As I wrote in the post, you can use endive instead. It is from the same family.
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
I've never tried this before and it looks so tasty! Can't wait to give it a try... what a unique dish!
Laura
Thank you Julie, simple but delicious
Marisa Franca Stewart
My mamma and papà loved bitter salads. The minute I saw the recipe I knew that they'd love it. I also noticed you're vinaigrette with the anchovies. MMMM! Sounds good and luckily have some leftover anchovier from a recipe I made yesterday. How are you and youre family doing? All of you are in my prayers. Have a wonderful day -- and instead of St. Patrick's Day we are celelbrating St. Joseph on Tuesday.
Laura
Hi Marisa, thank you for your message. We are moving along, keeping ourselves very busy. Our friends and family have been very supportive, we couldn't have made it without them. We will celebrate both, St Joseph with a nice Nocino