That Escarole Soup
It isn't pretty, but this fortifying bowl always comes to the rescue
Issue 29: From Dana
I’ve been waiting for the right moment to tell you about escarole soup.
I didn’t think that time would come until the weather turned cold again, but recently, so many people in my life have Covid, including my husband and son, who had managed to elude it since the start of this damn pandemic. And if you’re my friend or family member, you know that when you’re sick or recovering, I’m going to make you escarole soup and it’s going to make you feel better, without fail.
Escarole soup has always been my medicine, but you don’t have to be under the weather to love it. I ate it around my grandparents table when I was teeny, and craved the sweet, oniony, peppery broth strewn with greens and big, beefy meatballs. It was one of the first recipes I learned to make because I loved it so much: I remember my mom taking her rings off and putting them on the windowsill so she could mash together the meat with tons of pecorino, breadcrumbs, parsley and eggs. It was my job to roll them into balls and drop them into the simmering broth.
When I was first living on my own in college, I made escarole soup all the time — my roommates would poke fun at how it was the ugliest food they’d ever seen, but they couldn’t stop eating it. I’d look forward to leftovers the next day only to find an nearly empty pot in the fridge.
Escarole soup isn’t pretty, but what it lacks in looks, it far makes up for in big flavor, thanks to what happens when you cook down this bitter green and it turns the broth all sweet and deep. In fact, if you try to make it attractive—by shaping bite-sized meatballs, say, or shredding the greens into manageable-sized pieces—you’d be turning this rustic beauty of a soup into something it’s not. It’s not Italian Wedding Soup and it’s not Escarole with Cannellini, as much as I appreciate both. So, please embrace and enjoy it for what it is.
A few years ago, I shared the recipe in Saveur’s Italian-America issue and since then, it warms my heart when friends text me or acquaintances post about their immense love for this escarole soup; how they make it for their people or themselves when they need some healing and real sustenance.
Nothing made me prouder than when my son recently asked me to teach him the recipe so he could bring it with him to college next year. I showed him how to start the soup base with onions and garlic before sauteing the escarole and adding the broth. I taught him to cram as much escarole into the pot as would fit, wait for it to cook down, and then add more and more and more.
He was proud to serve it for dinner, and I imagine, to now have this beloved meal in his repertoire—the same way I felt when my mom taught me to make it. It’s empowering to know how to make something that could bring such comfort to yourself and others.
Little does he know that at the slightest sniffle of cough, I’ll be driving to his dorm with an escarole soup special delivery.
Escarole Soup
Serves 4-6
1 pound ground beef (preferably 80/20 blend)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
5 large yellow onions (4 sliced, 1 minced), divided
1 small bunch parsley, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Kosher salt and many cracks freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 large heads escarole, cored and cut into 3-4″ pieces
8 cups chicken stock
Cooked white rice or barely, for serving
In a large bowl, mix the beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan, Pecorino, 1/4 cup oil, Italian seasoning, half the minced garlic, all the minced onion, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Form into about 10 meatballs, 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
In a large soup pot, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and all the sliced onions; cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add half the escarole; stir until wilted. Add the stock and bring to a boil, adding more escarole gradually as the greens cook down. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the meatballs and the remaining escarole; simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice or barley; top with more grated cheese and black pepper.