11.154
7 (Sun) June 2020
Spaghetti in Clam Sauce with Chicory
3.5
by me
at the cabin
-Changchon, Seowon, Hoengseong, Gangwon, Republic of Korea-
with the Family
Quarantine Day 7 of 14.
- Day 1 (11.148 Grilled Hanwoo 1+ Deungsim)
- Day 2 (11.149 Samgyeopsal Ssam)
- Day 3 (11.150 Jin Ramen)
- Day 4 (11.151 Spaghetti alla Ragù)
- Day 5 (11.152 The Quad)
- Day 6 (11.153 Chicken and Potatoes)
After living and working 6.5 years in the Philippines, we’re back in Korea, for good (for now). We arrived on 1 June 2020. As required by Korean regulations in response to Covid-19, we will spend 14 days under quarantine. Fortunately, we have a family cabin, so it’ll be more like a long holiday, a well-deserved vacation. Even if we didn’t have to quarantine, our new apartment will be empty until our stuff arrives from Manila, sometime towards the end of the month, so this is the most comfortable place for us to be (for now).
Chicory, also known as Cichorium endivia (Linnaean taxonomy) or curly endive, is a vegetable. Not to be confused with common chicory or Belgian endive or radicchio (so-called Italian chicory); not sure how it relates to escarole, which might be the same thing. In any case, it’s a leafy green, with serrated leaves and firmish stems. Slightly bitter, though otherwise neutral in flavor.
Although I’ve seen the vegetable as a component in salads, I’d never thought about it, bought it, cooked with it until now. My mother had planted some in the garden (see generally 11.149 Samgyeopsal Ssam), having acquired the seeds, but admitted that she didn’t really know how to use it as an ingredient (“We don’t really eat salad.”).
While making my standard canned clam sauce (see 1.304 Fettuccine in Canned Clam Sauce (with recipe); see most recently 11.105 Spaghetti + Linguine in Tomato-Clam Sauce), I was inspired to chop up some chicory – the garden is overflowing – and add them to the sauce at the very end, just enough for the heat to wilt the leaves while retaining some texture and flavor. It was a subtle if significant addition, even the boys noticed, contributing a touch of crunch and bitterness.
I will consider how to use curly endives in other dishes.