Puntarelle Alla Romana is Rome’s winter and early spring salad: crispy ribbons, slightly sour, seasoned with a tasteful, sapid, unforgettable creamy sauce. Here’s the authentic, traditional Puntarelle Alla Romana recipe with their anchovy and vinegar pungent and delicious dressing.
THE TRADITIONAL PUNTARELLE ALLA ROMANA SALAD
Puntarelle Alla Romana is the salad recipe you’ll find in any restaurant in Rome during Winter and early Spring. Tasty (and a little bitter) and crisp green ribbons: the sprouts of a particular chicory plant, shaved or julienned, eaten raw and seasoned with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, vinegar, black pepper, and anchovies.
Usually, the restaurateurs here in Rome offer the traditional anchovy dressing recipe. Still, some fancy places have delicious alternatives on their menus, like Puntarelle & Seppie (squid) or Puntarelle & burrata, which, trust me, is heavenly good.
THE PUNTARELLE ALLA ROMANA RECIPE
The Puntarelle Alla Romana recipe is embarrassingly easy, especially if you find Puntarelle already cleaned and shaved.
Here in Rome, we usually simply purchase a bag of freshly cut veggies, go back home, blend the other ingredients, and season the salad.
Some, like my mom, sautè the anchovies in olive oil before adding them to the other ingredients – white pepper, vinegar, and garlic. Try to make the recipe both ways, and then choose your favorite!
FROM THE ITALIAN COLORS NEWSLETTER:
“Anyone who ever visited Rome has, at least once, in the middle of a long walk, stopped for a little restore and a sip of the freshest water on Earth. From one of the city’s 2000 nasoni, of course.
Nasone, by the way, literally means “big nose”.“
THE PUNTARELLE ALLA ROMANA RECIPE
The Puntarelle Alla Romana recipe is embarrassingly easy, especially if you find Puntarelle already cleaned and shaved.
Here in Rome, we usually simply purchase a bag of freshly cut veggies, go back home, blend the other ingredients, and season the salad.
Some, like my mom, sautè the anchovies in olive oil before adding them to the other ingredients – white pepper, vinegar, and garlic. Try to make the recipe both ways, and then choose your favorite!
Puntarelle Alla Romana
Ingredients
- 2 cups cleaned puntarelle
-
3-4
tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 peeled garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
-
4
anchovies
salt-cured
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
-
If you don't find already cleaned Puntarelle, all you have to do is cut off the asparagus-like sprouts, clean them with water, two tablespoons of baking soda, and two of vinegar, for 10 minutes or so. Rinse them and julienne them (or shave them).
-
Blend the olive oil, salt, garlic, vinegar, anchovies, and pepper until creamy.
-
Place the dried Puntarelle in a bowl and season them with this emulsion.
-
Mix well (with your hands for better results), and enjoy your Puntarelle!
Recipe Notes
To make Puntarelle even crispier, you can place them in a bowl with iced water for a few minutes before making your salad.
Enjoy your Puntarelle Alla Romana!
Claudia