The second of my current favourite starters uses the slightly maligned Belgian endive. Perhaps you call it chicory or witlof. It’s a beautiful pearly vegetable with bitter but satiny white leaves and I adore it. Tried to grow it last year and failed miserably. Will try again though. It’d be wonderful to pick fresh from my garden.
Anyway, though I adore endive all raw and crunchy in salads with cheese and nuts, my absolute favourite way to eat it is braised in a little butter and stock then topped with bubbling parmesan. Gorgeous as a side dish to grilled chicken and perfect with crusty bread as a sticky starter served
Braised Belgian Endive
One endive per person, halved length-ways
Butter
100-150ml stock (Chicken or veg)
Seasoning
Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 190oC.
- Melt a little butter in an oven-proof dish, just large enough to take your endives.
- Roll the endives in the butter until coated and discard extra fat.
- Lay endives in the dish rounded side up, season and pour in stock until halfway up the vegetables.
- Cover tightly with foil and roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and turn endives so the flat side is up. Roast for another 10 minutes without the foil.
- Increase oven temp. to 210oC. Sprinkle endives with parmesan cheese and roast for 10 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Serve drizzled with the juices woth crusty bread on the side.
Oh, definitely with some crusty bread! I can just imagine slurping this. I am sure it would be a delicious, but messy experience for me
Beautiful, beautiful. I want some now.
Mmmm. That looks delightful! I’ll have to give it a try sometime soon.
I’ve only ever tried it in salad, but can imagine that it would taste great braised.
Wonderful. I have similar feelings about its relative, radicchio – great raw, but some heat and dairy are transforming.
Yeah – it’s a close tie between endive and fennel for my favs.
Lovely.
Holler – Yeah. A bib is good!
Christina – Come on over.
Erynn – Hope you enjoy it!
Sylvie – It’s very different braised. Not nearly so bitter but still really, really good.
Susan – Raddichio… I’m wondering if THAT’s what I tried to grow and failed…
Lucy – Fennel wins for me, I must say. But I do love endive too.
Being in Belgium I really should have cooked these myself by now, I had them in hospital wrapped in ham and covered in a creamy cheesy sauce, very nice! I’ll try your way soon I think, looks lovley!
Bev – Ohh, your way sounds lovely too!!
Hello, I am Belgian & we precook them, drain & then braise them with brown sugar in a pot. After that, they will be caramelised well! Yours looks stunning!!
I just discovered your blog & I love it!!!
Sophie – Hello! Thanks for the kind comments. I’m highly intrigued about the brown sugar and endive idea. Shall be trying that out!
Just looking for a recipe for braised endive, and came across this! Looks utterly perfect, would make it RIGHT NOW if I had endive in the fridge.
PS just found this blog which is absolutely wonderful, you might have just become my new cooking inspiration..
Kathryn – Hello. So glad you like my blog. Hope you enjoy the braised endive!