Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad

Jeff the Chef

Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad. You already know just from reading the name that you want this salad. And you haven’t even found out yet that it also has bacon and chicken in it.

Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad
Pin
Print

Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Course: Dinner, Lunch
Makes

4

dinner salads

Ingredients

  • For the dressing:

  • 4 oranges, divided

  • Orange juice, as needed

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger

  • 3/4 cup olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 tsp whole mustard seeds

  • For the salad:

  • 1 head escarole

  • 1 head red leaf lettuce

  • 3 sliced cooked bacon, diced

  • 1 cup diced, cooked chicken breast

  • 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

  • Shredded Parmesan, for garnish

  • Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

Directions

  • Make the dressing.
  • Zest one of the oranges. Squeeze it, plus another one of the oranges. Set the other two oranges aside for the salad. Measure the juice; add more juice if necessary to bring the amount to 1/2 cup. Pour into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the zest, vinegar, cardamom, and ginger to the processor. Process to blend. With the processor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Process in salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a tightly sealable container. Add the mustard seeds, and shake.
  • The dressing can be made in advance and refrigerated. However, when fully refrigerated, its texture may be undesirable. If so, shake it vigourously, then heat it in the microwave on short (15 second) bursts and shake again. Repeat until the dressing’s texture returns to the smooth, satiny, creaminess that it had when freshly made. The texture should correct itself while the dressing is still cool, or when it gets close to room temperature. Do not get the dressing warm or hot.
  • Make the salad.
  • Peel the two remaining oranges. Use the sharp edge of a paring knife to rub as much pith away from the orange as you can. Separate the segments. Use the knife to grab any pith from the edges of each segment, and peel it away. Tear each segment in half. Set aside.
  • Trim or tear the escarole into smaller-than-bite-sized pieces, and distribute them among the salad bowls. Trim or tear the red lettuce into bite-sized pieces, and lay them over the escarole. Gently and briefly toss. Distribute orange segments. If the cooked bacon is cold (refrigerated), microwave it briefly to get it warm, but not hot. Dice it. Imagine that each salad is a bicycle tire, with a hub in the center, a rim at the perphery, and spokes in the middle. Distribute the bacon over the “rim” area. If the cooked chicken is cold (refrigerated), micorwave it briefly to get it warm, but not hot. Divide it between the plates, and pile it in the center of each, over the “hub.” Sprinkle the nuts around each salad, in the “spokes” area. Add dressing to the salads by the spoonsful, stirring and dipping the spoon deeply into the container to make sure to get plenty of musard seeds. Be generous with the dressing. Garnish with a small amount of Parmesan sprinkled mainly over the chicken. Dust each salad generously with freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

  • Substitutions: white balsamic for the white wine vinegar
"Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad," from Make It Like a Man!

Intro

This is a refreshing, out of the ordinary salad. The orange segments couldn’t be more delicious; they provide a contrast with the other ingredients, but are tied in and enhanced by the dressing. The escarole gives the salad a substantial chew, similar to the way kale might. The bacon is perfect in this context.

Social Learning

Although it’d make a nice side salad – especially if you served it as its own course – I love it as a dinner or lunch salad. Pair it with generous amounts of dinner rolls and soft butter. Accompany it with (lightly sweetened) iced tea, or freshly made lemonade or limeade. Follow it up with cake – something other than chocolate.

I used leftover chicken that I’d cooked in a mustard sauce: perfection.

This recipe will produce more dressing that you may need. Feel free to halve the yeild. I like to have the extra around, so that I can make more salads out of the leftover ingredients from this one, combining them with whatever else I have on hand.

The oranges and their juice are the stars of the show, so this salad’s success is tied to their quality.

"Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad," from Make It Like a Man!
Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. No one solicited this content. I didn’t write it in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. References: The Editors of Martha Stewart Living, “Frisee, Orange, and Toasted Hazelnut Salad.” In Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: The Original Classics. (New York, NY: Clarkson Potter, 2007), 128. Feedspot ranks Make It Like a Man! as #15 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.

Keep up with us on Bloglovin’

Large Blog Image

Savory Bread Pudding
Burger Rice Mince

24 thoughts on “Escarole, Orange, and Hazelnut Salad”

    • I’m no expert, but I’ve not heard of one. I think that wine is probably not acidic enough. Some sort of acid is at the foundation of many (most?) salad dressings.

      Reply

  8. I was intrigued to see you pair the escarole with oranges to offset its bitter flavour. Normally, I am not an escarole fan but I would love to try your salad. It’s a perfect summer meal.

    Reply

    • Thank you! I know what you mean, it’s a bit of a chew – but I thought it made this salad really hearty and satisfying.

      Reply

  9. Jeff, you are absolutely right! I knew immediately I would want this salad. The level of flavors and texture too really stand out. You could definitely serve it as an entree salad with added protein, or a side side salad to an entree. This salad is fantastic on many levels.

    Reply

  11. They sell fresh escarole at our farmers market. I was not familiar how to use it except in soup. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  12. Wait. There’s bacon in this, too!? Love it! And I love that I now have another way to use escarole – I typically buy it for winter soups, but I’ve never used it in a summer salad. Gotta try it!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Website

CommentLuv badge