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Asparagus chicory is a bitter leafy green from Italy that can be difficult to find outside the UK. It can be grown indoors and is rich in vitamins and minerals. It can be used in salads or cooked and is frost hardy.
Asparagus chicory is a bitter leafy green from Italy that is used in both cooked and raw forms. It can sometimes be difficult to find outside of the UK except from specialist growers, but as the plant is extremely hardy and easy to grow, it can easily be grown indoors.
Two common alternate names for asparagus chicory are radicle and catalonia, and the vegetables may sometimes be sold under these labels. Seed companies can choose from an assortment of Catalonia cultivars with various properties, ranging from extremely leafy chicory to asparagus to distinctively colored ones with red stems instead of the more conventional green.
The chicory family includes an assortment of plants grown for their edible roots, such as common chicory, or their leaves, such as endive and asparagus chicory. All plants in the family share a distinctive bitter and slightly peppery flavor that can add a level of complexity to many dishes. Like other dark leafy greens, chicory is a valuable addition to the diet, as it is rich in vitamins and minerals.
The common English name for the plant comes from the faint resemblance it bears to asparagus. Asparagus chicory has long, slender stems with deeply lobed dark green leaves. Some cultivars truly resemble a bundle of asparagus, while others are more leafy. Superficially, many asparagus chicory cultivars look like dandelion greens, leading some consumers to refer to them as “Italian dandelion greens.”
Raw asparagus chicory can be used in salads like arugula and other bitter greens. The younger the leaves, the more tender and less bitter they will be, allowing gardeners to choose between less peppery specimens when preparing raw salads. Asparagus chicory can also be pan cooked and stir fried or grilled. The peppery flavor will be retained while cooking, along with some of the crunch from the stems.
The plant is extremely frost hardy, allowing gardeners in northern regions to grow it in spring and summer, while others can grow it almost all year round. It grows readily from seed, provided the seeds are placed in well-drained soil and watered on a regular basis. After the plants begin to mature, they should be thinned out to allow the stronger asparagus chicory to mature. Gardeners can trim off individual leaves if needed, or remove entire asparagus chicory heads. In the case of older plants, do so with caution if the plant is eaten raw, as it can be surprisingly bitter.
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