Escarole is a green leafy vegetable from the chicory family of lettuces. Its leaves are sturdy like romaine and its flavor is simultaneously sweet and bitter. Radicchio is a very bitter chicory with white and magenta leaves. We are also growing a green romaine like radicchio called Virtus. Chicories are full of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. You can use it raw in salads but it also holds up to cooking. It can be roasted, grilled, braised and is commonly added to soups in Italian cooking.