How To Make Restaurant-Worthy Escarole Pie

Nothing evokes warm memories like the food of our childhood. That very topic — meals that bring us home — was what Foodie discussed with chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr. of Jasper's Restaurant and the Live! From Jasper's Kitchen Radio show, and how the topic of escarole pie (chef Mirabile calls it pizza di scarola) came up. "[M]y Nonna would prepare escarole-stuffed pizza," he enthuses. We previously spoke with chef Mirabile on the topic of transforming leftover ribeye into luscious steak pizzaiola. Now, after hearing how he cooks up escarole pie worthy of serving at his Italian eatery, we're dying to try it ourselves.

The region around Naples includes many delicious foods, including a small city that is widely said to be home to the best pizza shop in the world. Chef Mirabile's instructions make creating an authentic Neapolitan escarole pie as easy as can be, no matter where you live. There are more complicated recipes for escarole pie out there, but his depends on loving care of basic ingredients: leafy escarole (a bitter green that is related to endive), homemade pizza dough, good olive oil, and creamy mozzarella.

First, instructs chef Mirabile, take your two pizza dough balls and roll them out "very thin." Before sauteeing, chop your escarole and blanch it in boiling water for 15-20 minutes. After, it's time to get your greens in a hot pan "with olive oil and garlic along with some salt and pepper." Use your judgment to cook the escarole down until most of the oil is cooked off — "You don't want it too runny!" chef Mirabile warns. Then, take your cooked escarole and distribute it on the surface of one of your flattened dough rounds with some mozzarella cheese (it's different from burrata, which is generally used for eating fresh). "[S]ome even like to add some Italian breadcrumbs on top," chef Mirabile shares. After that, lay the second dough round atop the first one, seal the edges, and "bake in a brick oven or pizza oven. When it's golden brown, you take it out of the oven and let it sit for about 20 minutes and slice like a pie."

What's notable about chef Mirabile's preparation for perfect escarole pie is that it doesn't gild the proverbial lily with a ton of ingredients. Other additions to escarole pie can include additional red pepper flakes, white wine, feta cheese, olives, and even anchovies! But don't worry if that all sounds a bit much, as cef Mirabile wisely lets the escarole do the heavy lifting in a recipe that depends on high-quality ingredients cooked simply and with skill.