Belgium Endives, the untold story
Endive is a member of the chicory family, which includes radicchio, escarole, frisée and curly endive. It has a crisp texture and a sweet, nutty flavor with a pleasantly mild bitterness — great served raw or cooked. So Special...It's Grown Twice
Endive is one of the most difficult vegetables in the world to grow, requiring a two-step growing process before it is ready to be enjoyed. The first growth takes about 150 days in the field, where the chicory grows from seed into a leafy green plant with a deep tap root. At harvest, tops of the leafy chicory plant are cut off, the roots dug up, and then placed in cold storage where they enter a dormancy period. As demand necessitates, roots are removed from cold storage for their second growth, which takes 28 days in dark, cool, humid forcing rooms, similar to a mushroom growing facility. The control over the initiation of this second growing process allows for the year-round production of endive.
Below, we are sharing a great recipe for summer grilling, but endive also happens to be a fantastic component of one of our items in our new Best of Brunch classes!
Wrapped Endives in Grilled Prosciutto
454gr. endives 3tbsp. olive oil 1tsp. lemon juice 1tsp. chopped fresh rosemary 1 garlic clove, chopped 1tsp. sugar 12 slices of prosciutto 4tbsp. balsamic vinegar, reduced by half 3tbsp. chopped chives To Taste salt and pepper
- Preheat your griddle or BBQ – Brush with a little vegetable oil.
- Mix the olive oil with the lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and sugar.
- Slice the endives into halves; remove the base and brush with the flavoured oil.
- Place the halves endives back together to seal the marinade inbetween the halves.
- Wrap each endive with a slice of prosciutto and secure with a bamboo skewer if necessary.
- Place on the hot BBQ or griddle and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Transfer onto a plate and drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar and top with chopped chives.