Escarole (Cichorium endivia var. latifolia), also called broad-leaved endive, Batavian endive or scarole, is a leafy chicory grown as a loose, open head of wide, slightly wavy, dull-green outer leaves that pale to a tender, creamy-white or yellow heart. Crisp and only mildly bitter, it is eaten raw in salads but is most prized cooked — wilted, braised or sautéed, and famously stewed with beans in southern Italian cooking — where heat softens the leaf and mellows its chicory bitterness into a sweet, silky green.