Escarole Pie Recipe – Easy Pizza di Scarola

Guido Pasquariello

The escarole pizza is tied to the Neapolitan culinary tradition of Christmas; it's a savory pie with strong, contrasting flavors made with escarole, anchovies, olives, pine nuts, and raisins.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 45

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 slice

Equipment

Large wok for sautéing
Glass for rehydrating raisins
Small pan for toasting pine nuts
Well-oiled pie dish for baking
Oven preheated to 180°C static heat

Ingredients

700 gr fresh pre-made pizza dough or make it yourself or use two shortcrust pastries
700 gr escarole lettuce
4 tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
135 gr pitted black olives
50 gr pickled oil-packed anchovies
50 gr pine nuts
75 gr raisins

Instructions

Clean the escarole well, drain and cut into small strips.
700 gr escarole lettuce
Put the raisins in a glass of hot water to rehydrate them.
75 gr raisins
In a large wok, heat olive oil and sauté the garlic and anchovies until they melt.
4 tbsp Olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, 50 gr pickled oil-packed anchovies
Add the escarole, mix on low heat, and cover.
Cut the olives in half and add them to the wok with the raisins (not too dry).
135 gr pitted black olives
Cook the escarole until it's tender.
In a separate small pan, toast the pine nuts and add them at the last moment to the wok so they remain crunchy.
50 gr pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 180°C static heat.
Cut the dough into two and spread it to make 2 bases.
In a well-oiled pie dish, place one of the doughs, spread the escarole mixture, and cover with the second dough. Seal well, brush with oil, and bake for about 45 minutes, ensuring the bottom dough is well-cooked.
Enjoy as a starter, with aperitifs, as a side dish, for breakfast, or even as a snack!

Notes

Here’s my recipe, I advise you to prepare it the day before, because cold and the next day it’s even better when the ingredients have rested.
Another tip, make two, because the first will be eaten during the holiday meal, the second the next morning for breakfast.

Here's the difference between an Escarole Pizza made with pizza dough (on the left) and one made with shortcrust pastry (on the right). Both are good, so you decide how to make it. — Here’s the difference between an Escarole Pizza made with pizza dough (on the left) and one made with shortcrust pastry (on the right). Both are good, so you decide how to make it.

Escarole Pie, called Italian Pizza di Scarola is a savory pie typically cooked on Christmas Eve in southern Italy, where the menu is very different, compared for example to the Neapolitan Easter menu.

A pie of sautéed vegetables, with contrasting flavors such as anchovies, raisins, pine nuts, olives, and of course lots of Escaroles, which are nothing more than bitter endives.

A slice of Escarole Pie (Pizza di Scarola) made by me. It’s basically a rustic pie with vegetables.

Here are the ingredients I usually use for my escarole pizza, obviously the vegetable itself, the escarole, is missing. If you can, get it fresh and in season! — Here are the ingredients I usually use for my escarole pie from Naples, obviously the vegetable itself, the escarole, is missing. If you can, get it fresh and in season!

Why is it called Pizza di Scarola even though it is a pie?

In Italy when we talk about pizza di Scarola we refer to a recipe that is part of the “pizze rustiche” or rustic pies, they are savory pies stuffed with different things inside.

So escarole pizza is actually not a classic variation of pizza Napoletana.

But is still called a pizza because the outside dough and shape are similar to that of the classic Neapolitan pizza, although in reality rustic pizzas and classic pizzas are two quite different preparations.

That is why you will not find on the menu of the classic Neapolitan pizzeria the escarole pie, this is because it is a stuffed pizza and it is mainly cooked at home on Christmas.

A pie of escarole pizza — As you can see, Pizza di Scarola in Italy looks like a rustic pie, filled with sautéed Escaroles, anchovies, raisins, pine nuts, and black olives.

Why on Christmas Eve in southern Italy do we lunch with escarole pizza?

On December 24, Neapolitans have their custom: at lunch, in order not to get overly full while waiting for dinner, they eat a slice of pizza with escarole.

In the typical Italian tradition, no meat should be eaten on Christmas Eve. Therefore, Neapolitans, to stay light and preserve their appetite for clams, salt cod, and other delicacies planned for dinner, eat the escarole pizza made by mom at noon.

When do Italians eat escarole pie?

Although it is a typical Christmas Eve dish in southern Italy, Italians often eat escarole pie, even on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

Because it is a pie related to the seasonality of escarole vegetables, it is more likely to be found in winter.

What is escarole?

Escarole (or endive scarole) is a variety of endive. Escarole looks like a salad, light green (or yellowish) at the top of the leaves and white on the stem.

Escarole is thus an autumn-winter vegetable, excellent for fulfilling vitamin and salt needs at a time when most vegetables are no longer available.

The best method of consuming escarole is raw “in a salad”; in this way, with the leaf “alive,” the entire vitamin and salt pool remains unchanged. Escarole Salad leaves can be sautéed, braised, or boiled.

What vegetable is similar to escarole

It may not be easy to find escarole; these are some vegetables you could use instead of escarole, although my advice is to try to find it since it is a vegetable with a very distinctive flavor.

Alternative vegetables to escarole:

Kale
Radicchio
Arugula
Spinach
Chard
Mustard Green

Escarole Pie: Easy Original Neapolitan Recipe