I have only ever seen endive used as a vehicle to eat delicious dips and cheeses at cocktail parties. That being said, I have only ever licked delicious dips and cheeses from endive while at said cocktail parties. I ooze class, I know.
After seeing some of the chefs on Chopped breeze through round after round where endive was an ingredient I decided it was time to try the stuff for real. From what I have read, there are two most common ways to prepare endive - roasted or braised. I chose to take the braised route.
Upon first glance, endive basically looks like mini heads of romaine lettuce. To prepare them, rinse lightly and remove the stem end. Slice them in half lengthwise and cut the core out using an upside down V cut.
Garlic and Lemon Braised Endive
3-4 heads of endive, rinsed and prepared
1c. water
2 cloves of garlic
juice of 2 lemons
sea salt & pepper
olive oil
Pour a small amount of olive oil and crush garlic in the bottom of a dutch oven over med-high heat. Place endive - cut side down - and allow to brown for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze lemon over top and pour water down the side of the pan so as not to disrupt the placement. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Cover and let steam for 5-7 minutes or until fork tender.
Endive certainly has an interesting flavor. The lemon and garlic in this recipe are just enough to take the edge off the bitterness that is characteristic of endive. After tasting it braised, I can see the allure of serving appetizers on a fresh endive leaf. The bitter notes would be a perfect compliment to lots of different things... and it looks super fancy. How can you go wrong?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment