Kitchen Moxy

How to cook endive. Endive belongs to the chicory genus, which includes several similar bitter leafed vegetables. I am talking about the little bullet shaped endives, not the curly leaf or chicory. Endives are rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in foliate and vitamins A and K, and are high in fiber. Endive has a bitter-sweet taste, but I thought it was very savory, almost nutty. I served it up with my baby potatoes and flounder; it made a very filling side dish. Let your kids eat these little “boats” with their fingers. Make it fun.

Here are a few suggestions on how to enjoy your endive:

Baked endive:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Slice endive lengthwise, remove core. Keep the root end intact as it will hold the leaves together after slicing.
3. Brush both halves with olive oil.
4. Slice a fresh garlic clove into very thin slices and place the slices in between the endive leaves.
5. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, and a little garlic powder.
6. Bake at 375°F. for 20 minutes.
7. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle balsamic vinegar over them.

Pan braised endive:

1. Slice your endives in half.
2. Sprinkle cut side with kosher salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you might like.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy pan along with 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
4. Place the endive halves cut side down in the pan, cook on medium-high heat until they are brown.
5. Add ½ cup chicken broth and simmer until almost all liquid is gone. Remove from pan sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar

Maple glazed endive:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Halve 6 small endives, remove as much of the core as possible.
3. Arrange endive into one layer on a baking sheet with raised edges.
4. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter then stir in 2 tablespoons of real maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. When hot, pour over the endive and bake until tender and the edges begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes.