The Militant Carnivore Cooks for his Vegetarian Wife

I couldn’t resist trying to mimic the restaurant trend of serving a single ingredient “two ways”.  Even though it’s faddish, perhaps even clichéd, it seemed like a fun way to stretch out the resources of my larder, especially since the larder was getting kind of bare.  Could I transform a handful of ingredients (escarole, bread, garlic, Pecorino Romano) into two completely different dishes that, when combined, would form an entire, and entirely satisfying, meal?

Escarole, a bitter green in the chicory family, is a great choice for this approach because it’s equally delicious cooked or raw.  The sauteed escarole makes a great bruschetta topping; in my view, you can’t have too many options for topping bruschetta.  The raw leaves form the basis of a Caesar-style salad (I think the escarole’s bitterness gives the salad more character than romaine does).  Together, the dishes offer a pleasing contrast between raw and cooked, hot and cold, unctuous and austere.

• 2 heads of escarole, washed, stem ends removed
• 8 slices of good bread
• olive oil, as needed
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 lemon, halved
• pinch of red pepper flakes or ground cayenne
• 3 oz. Pecorino Romano or other hard grating cheese

Roughly chop all of the escarole and separate into two portions.  Set aside.

Take 4 slices of bread and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and a clove of garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot and the garlic starts to color, add the bread cubes.  Saute over medium heat, adding more oil as necessary and turning the bread cubes over every minute or so until golden brown on (almost) all sides, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and drain on paper towels.  Reserve.

Pound one clove of garlic and a small pinch of salt with a mortar and pestle until it turns into a paste.  Juice one lemon half and stir the juice into the garlic.  Slowly drizzle some olive oil into the garlic-lemon mixture, whisking constantly, until you have an emulsified salad dressing (this will take a few tablespoons of oil).  Set aside.

Put the broiler on high.  Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on a baking sheet and broil until toasty brown on top, 2-3 minutes.  (Alternatively, you could just toast the bread, but I prefer bruschetta cooked on one side only.)  Rub the cut side(s) of the bruschetta with a clove of garlic, making everything nice and garlicky; discard the spent garlic clove (i.e., put it in the veggie stock bag).  Drizzle the bruschetta with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and set on a serving dish.

Using the same skillet in which you cooked the croutons (no need to wash it first!), heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and a clove of garlic over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add one of the portions of reserved escarole.  Add a pinch of salt and the red pepper; saute aggressively over medium-high heat, stirring with tongs.  The escarole should wilt and become tender in about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the juice of the other lemon half and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Divide the sauteed escarole evenly between the four pieces of bruschetta.  Serve.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the remaining (uncooked) portion of reserved escarole, the croutons and the salad dressing.  Add several grinds of fresh black pepper; toss again.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Pecorino Romano on top of the salad.  Serve.