Belgian Endive (or Chicory or Witloof) used to be a fairly bitter vegetable. There were two ways of solving this: cook it for too long in plenty of water and/or remove the solid part from the stem. Today’s Belgian Endive is not that bitter, so you can happily enjoy all of it.
A traditional way of enjoying endive is to cook it, then wrap the endive in ham, cover it with a béchamel sauce and chapelure. Transfer the dish to the oven until golden. It’s a nice way of preparing Endive when you want to take a trip down memory lane.
Another option is to slice it and make a salad, preferably the one created by Antonio Carluccio. His salad with truffle and truffle oil is brilliant.
Cooking it in hot water is not our favourite because it reduces the taste and damages the structure.
A much better idea is to caramelise the Endive in a hot skillet. Adding lemon juice will enhance the bitterness of the Endive and add acidity. And if you bought the right kind of lemon, you will also have a floral touch because of the bergamot.
Enjoy the caramelised endive with duck or grilled lamb chops.
Wine Pairing
A simple full-bodied red wine will work very well with the Belgian Endive. Make sure it’s not too subtle!
What You Need
- Belgian Endive
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Lemon
What You Do
- Clean the Belgian Endive by removing the outer leaves and cut in half (top down)
- No need to remove the centre core
- Heat a skillet
- Add olive oil
- Put the Belgian Endive in the pan, making sure the flat side is down
- Keep on medium heat for some 10 minutes until caramelised, so really dark brown
- Turn the Belgian Endive and continue for another 5 to 10 minutes
- Optional: reduce heat and add some butter
- When you’re happy with the result, add fresh lemon to taste
- Leave in the pan for a few seconds
- Stir and check the taste
- Serve on a hot plate
PS
If you feel inspired by this recipe, then search for Witloof from Belgium by Liesbeth Hobert and Felix Alen. Over 150 pages with suggestions how to prepare Witloof. Pity it’s in Dutch only, despite its title.
Cook and Drink 