This winter, you will finally appreciate endives thanks to tasty seasonal recipes.
Little point of nutrition
You and endives are not what you would call true love. However, the “chicon”, as it is called in Belgium and the North of France, has more than one nutritional advantage. Made up of approximately 95% water, it contains only 17 kcal per 100 g. However, don’t think it’s not nutritious. It contains, in fact, enough fiber to stimulate digestion and promote the feeling of satiety.
This vegetable also contains a host of minerals including potassium, calcium, and manganese; and vitamins A, C and E, which contribute to the good health of the body and skin. This precisely contradicts the expression from the North “to have a complexion like endive”, meaning that one does not look good.
Finally, endive is recommended for pregnant women, because it is rich in vitamin B9, also called folic acid, essential for the proper development of the fetus.
How to cook gourmet recipes with endive?
Although endive, whether white or red, is not one of the most popular winter vegetables, its health benefits are undeniable. It would be a shame to deprive yourself of it, especially since there are dozens of ways to cook it. Some might even surprise you.
Apart from the endive salad which can be endlessly varied, with different cheeses, dried duck breast, Morteau sausage, fruits and legumes, endives are generally prepared as a gratin. With a nice layer of homemade béchamel and ham, they become as soft as possible. Like lettuce, it can be cooked, in the pan, in the oven, steamed… Which leaves many possibilities.
Among our favorite recipes for enjoying this unloved vegetable, we recommend tarte tatin with pears and stilton, an English blue cheese. Gourmet and perfectly seasonal. As for children, who are often reluctant to eat endives, serve them with risotto or spaghetti. They will thus forget the vegetable, and may even ask for more.
How to remove bitterness from endives?
For those who are bothered by the bitterness of endive, the easiest way to get rid of it is to combine it with sweet flavors. We therefore consider accompanying your salad with a honey or balsamic vinegar vinaigrette. Certain fruits, such as apple, citrus fruits, pear and grapes, also counteract its bitter flavor. Don’t hesitate to slip them into your salads, or why not, into an endive soup (except for the grapes). If it is cooked in water, you can add a cube or 1 tbsp. of sugar in the saucepan, and do not put any fruit in it.
Finally, be sure to remove the cone-shaped central part of the endive. It is, in fact, where the bitterness is most present. You will see that by removing the trunk, the endives will be much softer.
Ready to amaze the whole family with our tasty endive recipes?
Endives with ham and béchamel
© Amandine Honegger and Sylvie Rost
Discover the recipe for Endives with ham and béchamel
Winter salad with croutons, nuts and bacon
© Valéry Guedes
Discover the recipe for Winter Salad with croutons, nuts and bacon
Tarte tatin with endives, pears and stilton
© Valéry Guedes
Discover the recipe for Tarte tatin with endives, pears and stilton
Warm salad with endives, Morteau sausage and green lentils
© Pearl of the North
Discover the recipe for Warm salad with endives, Morteau sausage and green lentils
Risotto with sausages and red endives by Mimi Thorisson
© Oddur Thorisson
Discover the recipe for Risotto with sausages and red endives by Mimi Thorisson
Milk-poached haddock, orange-braised endives and yuzu sauce
© AnneCé Bretin / Amélie Roche /CNIEL
Discover the recipe for Haddock poached in milk, endive braised with orange and yuzu sauce
Endive salad with Comté, pomegranate and walnuts, honey vinaigrette
© Nathalie Carnet
Discover the recipe for Endive Salad with Comté, Pomegranate and Walnuts, Honey Vinaigrette
Scallops, endives and gingerbread
© Jean-Claude Amiel
Discover the recipe for scallops, endives and gingerbread
Spaghetti with sautéed endives
© Akiko Ida
Discover the recipe for Spaghetti with sautéed endives
Bowl of quinoa, Shanghai cabbage
© Carrie Solomon
Discover the recipe for Quinoa Bowl, Shanghai cabbage
Endive soup with Epoisses
© Akiko Ida
Discover the recipe for Endive and Epoisses Velouté
Grilled endives with orange and paprika
© Akiko Ida
Discover the recipe for grilled endives with orange and paprika
Endives with ham and plenty
© Akiko Ida
Discover the recipe for Endives with ham and plenty
Pan-fried endives with porcini mushrooms and hazelnuts
© Pearl of the North
Discover the recipe for Pan-fried endives with porcini mushrooms and hazelnuts
Roasted endives and grapefruit
© Christophe Roué
Discover the recipe for Endives and roasted grapefruit
Sorrel and endive salad with haddock
© Marie-Pierre Morel
Discover the recipe for Sorrel and endive salad with haddock