California Endive Farms was one of the sponsors of an International Food Bloggers Conference recently in Seattle. They provided packages of fresh Belgian-style endive to all the attendees. They also filled an embarrassing gap in my culinary knowledge that has kept me from ever discussing endive in public: Is it pronounced N-dive or On-deev? It turns out that both are correct because there are two different kinds of endive.
“N-dive” is a curly member of the chicory family, similar to escarole and frisee, which is grown outdoors. “On-deev,” pronounced with a French accent (Hercule Poirot would say, “No, no, Madam, it should be spoken with a Belgian accent!”), is a chicory cousin, one that must be grown in complete darkness under cool and moist conditions to produce its characteristic, tightly-packed, bud-shaped heads. It is frequently used as a scoop for dips, making it a handy, low-carb cracker replacement, but this recipe masks the natural bitterness of endive to make a beautiful, fragrant vegetable dish.
GRILLED ENDIVE
Ingredients:
3 heads of white and/or red endive, halved lengthwise through the root end
Marinade:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
Sugar substitute equal to 1 tbsp sugar OR 1 tbsp sugar-free pancake syrup
1 and 1/2 tsp dried herbs de Provence*
1 and 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions:
In a large non-metallic bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the endive and toss. Set aside at room temperature to marinate, stirring occasionally, for 30 min.
Bring a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate OR preheat broiler and place endive on lightly greased broiler pan. Grill or broil the endive with the cut side toward the heat source until lightly charred, about 8 to 10 minutes.. Turn, brush with any remaining marinade, and cook until just beyond the al dente stage and lightly charred, another 8 to 10 minutes or so. Serve warm.
Recipe inspired by California Endive Farms.
*Herbs de Provence can be purchased as a pre-mixed blend from the bulk bins at most groceries, where it will be much cheaper than the versions in small jars on the spice aisle. Use one that includes lavender for this recipe. (My recipe for making the herb blend is in Nourished.)
Makes 3 servings
Calories: 130 Fat: 5.5g; Protein: 6.5g; Carbs: 17.7g; Fiber: 15.9g: Net Carbs: 1.2g
See more recipes for endive here.
Disclaimer: I received a free sample of the product reviewed above.
(c) 2013, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwarsblog.com
You can always call it, as do the Flemish and the Dutch, witloof (or witlof), which means white leave.
and the francophone Belgians call them chicon, not endive.
I did not know that! Thanks, gallier2.
Keep on writing, great job!
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I’ve been asked about what veggies are considered “bitter.” Here is an article that lists some and explains what they are good for. https://draxe.com/nutrition/bitter-foods/