Healthy Highlight: Endive

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One of the cool things about this article is that it introduces healthy, in-season ingredients that are at our local grocery stores though we may never have heard of them before. The last few weeks I have been trying to highlight ingredients that I know we don't grab for at the store and remind you of how important they are. This week, endive has hit the list. Endive is a bitter tasting leafy green vegetable that unlocks a treasure box of nutrients. Endive makes a great salad, green veggie side, or baked dish!

  • Endive, just like many other leafy green vegetables, consist of mostly water. 
  • Raw leaves contain vitamins K, A, Folate, Potassium, Choline, Phosphorus, and Zinc
  • 100 grams of raw endive is less than 3 grams of carbs. This makes it a perfect fit for keto
  • About half a cup of Endives meets 50% of the Vitamin K requirement. This helps support bone health and overall well-being. 
  • Endives have the perfect combination of nutrients for assisting in a healthy pregnancy

Recipes:

Endive Salad (acouplecooks.com)

  • 3 heads Belgian Endive
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced Raddichio
  • 2 Oranges, plus Zest
  • 2 tablespoons sliced Almonds
  • Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese, shaved
  • 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette
  1. Cut off the bottom 1/2-inch of the endives. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise, leaving most of the smaller leaves whole. Rinse the leaves and blot them dry with a towel or place in a salad spinner to dry.
  2. Zest one orange. Then cut both of the oranges into segments (or simply remove the pieces).
  3. Add Red Wine Vinaigrette
  4. Place the endive leaves on a large plate or platter, or on individual plates. Top with the sliced radicchio, orange zest and slices, sliced almonds and shavings of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese. Top with the red wine vinaigrette (taste and add more if necessary).

Endive and Potato Gratin (tasteofsavoie.com)

  • About 6 Endives, quartered lengthways
  • 2-3 tablespoons Walnut or Olive Oil
  • 500 grams Waxy Potatoes
  • 50-75 grams Walnut Pieces
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
  • 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme Leaves
  • 100 grams Blue Cheese cut into cubes
  • 100 grams Bacon Lardons
  • 100 ml Creme Fraiche or double cream
  • Grated Gruyere Cheese for top
  • Black Pepper
  1. Cut the endives lengthways in quarters. Put in one layer in a roasting tin, pour over the walnut oil or if you prefer olive oil. Then season with black pepper and thyme. Roast in the oven at 180℃ until they have caramelized and softened, around 35 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile cook the potatoes in their skins for 15 minutes (either steam or boil them). Cool quickly in cold water and slice them into rounds. They don’t want to be too soft as you need to be able to slice them after cooking.
  3. Add the crème fraiche to the sliced potatoes.
  4. Sauté the bacon lardons and drain.
  5. Cut the blue cheese into cubes.
  6. In a prepared baking dish put a layer of the endives at the bottom, (half of the endives) sprinkle over the bacon lardons, blue cheese, walnuts and chopped parsley.
  7. Next put the layer of sliced potatoes
  8. Finally put the rest of the endive quarters on the top.
  9. Sprinkle with the grated Gruyere cheese – I used Gruyere for the nutty taste but you can use any grated hard cheese, Comte, Abondance or Beaufort would be good too.
  10. Bake in the preheated oven (180℃) for around 20 minutes, until the top is bubbling and golden.

Braised Endive with Preserved Lemon Gremolata (healthygreenkitchen.com)

  • 5-6 heads California Endive
  • Coarse Sea Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry White Wine
  • 1/2 cup Stock (vegetable, chicken, or turkey)
  • 2-3 Garlic Cloves

For Gremolata:

  • 1 Large Garlic Clove
  • 1/4 cup Parsley
  • 1 teaspoon preserved Lemon Rind
  1. Sprinkle endives with salt and pepper, then arrange cut side down in a suitable baking dish (I used a round dish: you want the endives to fit perfectly in the dish so the braising liquid comes up an inch or so around the endives).
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the wine and stock. Pour over the endives. Add the garlic pieces to the baking dish.
  3. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a preheated 425 degree F. oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat, carefully flip the endives over, and bake for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
  4. Make the gremolata by mixing the minced garlic with the parsley and the preserved lemon rind.
  5. Plate the endive and garnish with the gremolata