The Italian Gardener

"Green, full hearted Escarole" has a good sized head of crunchy and mild-flavoured leaves. Escarole is a favourite in Italy where the more strongly flavoured and tougher outer leaves are cooked, and the inner, pale, blanched leaves are used in salads. Carluccio has a number of good looking recipes in his "vegetables" book.

Sow in seed boxes late summer and transplant/direct sow in autumn and thin to 20cm. To blanch the heart for tender pale interior leaves, tie leaves up with twine 10-12 days before harvest.