Seasoned Advice is a question and answer site for professional and amateur chefs. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
We found this at a local food bank, and couldn't resist but have no idea what it is. We live in the bay area of California, so there are any number of communities it could have come from. Any help is appreciated :)
In response to comments, I'll give sensory description of the vegetable. There is little smell. The stalks are hollow inside, and crunchy with none of the stringiness of celery. The flavor is light and bitter and reminds me a lot of dandelions.
It is an asparagus chicory, or more formally known as Puntarelle. They are grown in Rome and in Italy. They are similar to endives and have that bitter taste. A famous dish that uses it is Puntarelle alla Romana, a salad with anchovies and the asparagus chicory. It is quite hard to find outside of Italy, surprised you found it in California. Enjoy it!
