The name of this chicory means "sugarloaf" in Italian, and refers to this chicory being less bitter than radicchio and shaped like a small loaf of bread. It is similar to a dense head of escarole, and as such has many similar applications. Grill and serve as the base of a warm salad with pears and blue cheese; braise into soups or bean stews; broil atop pizzas; serve raw as is with just some salt and good olive oil.
Dagele Brothers ProduceDagele Brothers Produ...
Florida, NY
Dagele Bros. Produce, operated by Frank, Robert and Randal Dagele was started in 1919, when the brothers' grandparent's, John and Josephine, emigrated from Poland and settled in the 22 square miles of Orange County known as the "Black Dirt" region. A bit of geological happenstance has made the area home to some of this country's most fertile soil due to having been formerly the bottom of a nutrient rich lake. The sulfur rich soil makes for particularly spicy alliums so the Dagele Bros. devote about 180 acres of their 400 acre farm to growing cooking onions. "We sell our onions with the tops still on them, they're extremely fresh and have a better taste," Doreen, the Dagele sister, says. The other crops grown on the Dagele brothers' farm are 125 acres of salad greens, 40 acres of pumpkins and winter squash, and 20 acres of different vegetables that range from artichokes to zucchini.