From January to March, fruttivendoli pile mountains of these alien-looking chicory shoots, their bright-green stalks curled like tight little fists, awaiting their ritualistic preparation. They are sold trimmed, a process that seems like a full-contact sport when you see it unfold in the markets, leaves discarded on the cobblestones by one member of the team while the other prunes and shreds the stalks through a makeshift screen. At home, Roman cooks wield knives adeptly, slicing puntarelle into thin, crunchy ribbons that curl in an ice-water bath, taming their bitterness. Tossed simply with garlic, salty anchovies, good olive oil, and sharp vinegar, puntarelle alla romana are a winter icon. Puntarelle and chicories in general are becoming more popular in the US, especially in the NY-NJ-PA tristate area and the Pacific Northwest. Look for them at farmers’ markets attended by Pennsylvania’s Campo Rosso Farm and Washington’s Local Roots and Uprising Seeds.