Puntarelle

Puntarelle is a visually strange and oddly beautiful chicory from Southern Italy.

Puntarelle a little daunting to approach in the kitchen because its so unfamilar, however it’s simple to prepare, and has very little bitterness. The whole plant can be eaten, and is traditionally prepared both in raw and cooked dishes.

14 July 2021

We are really elated to grow Puntarelle for our CSA members~ Neither of us had ever come across it, let alone cooked with it. Dylan has never been to Italy, and when Grace was there she was partying, not taking much notice. There are plans to travel together to Italy for Puntarelle, Radicchio, Cime di rapa and Mugnoli.

To prepare the Puntarelle, remove the leaves and separate the protruding spears. Cut the spears into matchstick shaped slices, and soak them in cold water for a minute or two, until they start to curl.

Puntarella alla Romana, is a traditional Italian recipe from Rome that has subtle flavours and is really fresh and crunchy. In fact this vegetable is famously cultivated by farmers surrounding Rome and it’s rarely found outside this region. We make a vegetarian version omitting the anchovies, and adding capers and olives in their place. The salad is simple and beautiful. Find the recipe here.

Puntarelle can also be enjoyed in pasta too, find the recipe here. To eat the Puntarelle leaves, either chop them up and eat them raw in salads or on top of soups. They are also sometimes blanched briefly before being sautéd in olive oil and garlic.

We grow Puntarelle seed from an Italian seed company called Smarties.bio. This seed company breeds and develops commercial quality seeds of crop varieties relatively unknown outside of specific regions of Italy. They are great advocates of biocultural diversity, and we are very fortunate to have been gifted these seedlings from our friends at Felds Farm and Fat Carrot Farm.

Smarties.bio was co-founded by the Italian seed breeder Andrea Ghedina. You can watch an interview with Andrea, speaking in English about the Puntarelle seed he produces, and we grow at Broom and Brine Farm. We look forward to placing a seed order with Smarties.bio in the next few months so that we can grow and celebrate more of these special vegetables with our CSA members.

Image source:
1. https-//decoratosementi.com/catalog/conventional-seeds/chicory/catalogna-puntarelle-di-galatina/.jpeg
2. https-//professionale.saissementi.it/en/prodotti/cicoria/cicoria-catalogna/pigna-2/.jpeg