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1
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it heavily — the water should taste of the sea. Add the cicoria and blanch until the stems are fully tender throughout, with no fibrous resistance remaining. Lift a stem and press it between finger and thumb: it must yield completely. Under-blanched cicoria carries excessive bitterness that no subsequent cooking will resolve.
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2
Drain the cicoria into a colander. Once cool enough to handle, gather it in both hands and press firmly and repeatedly to expel as much water as possible. The pressed mass should hold its shape and feel dense rather than wet. Waterlogged greens will steam in the pan rather than sauté.
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3
Pour the olive oil into a wide, heavy pan and set over medium heat. Add the crumbled peperoncino at the outset so it blooms in the warming oil, then add the crushed garlic. Cook, watching without pause, until the garlic turns pale gold — the colour of straw, not amber. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: a few seconds beyond pale gold and the garlic browns, introducing a bitterness that compounds the cicoria's own and cannot be corrected.
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4
Add the pressed cicoria to the pan. Turn it through the oil with tongs, ensuring every part is coated and in contact with the hot surface. Continue the ripassata until the greens are heated through, glistening with oil, and any remaining surface moisture has cooked off. The finished dish should glisten visibly — a stingy oil coating signals the dish is incomplete.
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5
Taste and correct the salt. Remove from heat. Serve at room temperature as a contorno, or roughly chop and pile onto grilled bread rubbed with raw garlic for bruschetta.