Endives are generally best raw, with some green apples or avocado, some hazelnuts with shitake, and a bit of lemon. But sometimes it is nice to have them softer and more bitter. Braised they go well with a roast chicken or anything else a bit sweet from caramelization.
- Endives, fresh is best but this is a good way to use up some that have begun to wilt
- Shallots, minced
- Olive oil
- Butter
- White wine
- Lemon
- Salt of course
Halve or if they are large quarter the endives. Soak in salted water if you want to take off some of the bitterness.
Fry up the minced shallots until just before they change colour (takes some practice) in olive oil and butter with a sprinkling of salt. Add halved endives and cook face down until they begin to brown. Flip over and continue to fry until the leaves are loosening. Add chicken stock (the simpler the better) and some white wine, cover and simmer until the stem, the toughest part, is not quite soft (test with a thin knife or fork).
Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a sweet fresh herb if you have one.
Endives can tend to be bitter. This is part of the appeal. But you may want to serve them with something sweet, like braized carrots or parsnips.
You can use this recipe with radicchio or even young lettuce (not as bitter).
Yoshie and I made this on May 3, 2008, listening to the rain inside rain, and Gidon Kremer's recording of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. The wine was a rather rich white from the mouth of the Loire.
