Endives go bad at home? No need to take out the gratin dish to begin the great seduction operation. This simple recipe will immediately win you over!
Young and old alike twist their noses when they see them tumbling onto the table. Like cabbages, endives are difficult to pack at home. More than their smell, it is their bitterness that is off-putting. A flavor that our brain, in a primitive and defensive reflex, still assimilates to the notions of “poison” and “danger”. Rightly initially, since many bitter substances are indeed toxic in nature, but wrongly for “chicons” (as they are called in the North).
Certainly edible, these varieties of chicory are included in winter salads and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. The sweetest of them have white leaves with slightly yellowed edges. Conversely, those with green tips, more exposed to light, generally reveal a more pronounced bitterness.
But careful selection on the stalls is unfortunately not enough to solve everything. For them to be widely accepted by the table, they must come out well prepared. But not necessarily camouflaged under a ton of béchamel and grated gruyere! With this “soft” recipe for caramelized endives with honey and balsamic that she got from her mother, Belqis Valsan (@belqisvl) shows that we can reconcile everyone with chicons (including those traumatized in the canteen) without even turning on the oven or taking out the gratin dish.
Split 4 endives in half lengthwise. Then melt 20 g of butter (or ghee) in a pan and place the endives, cut sides against the coating. Let them roast over medium heat, turning them regularly, until they are nicely browned and tender. Then add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar (coconut, for example), 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 handful of crushed walnut kernels. When they are well caramelized, place them on a bed of Greek yogurt and top them with chopped chives and grated or shaved parmesan. “No more trauma”concludes the Basque recipe creator. The grimace soup too!
In the end, these caramelized endives have everything to put even the most reluctant people in a good mood. The recipe is quick to prepare, requires almost nothing, and transforms a shunned vegetable into a hearty dish. At the table, no one protests: the endives disappear without negotiation, and the canteen memories evaporate. A simple and effective way to give this winter vegetable a chance again… and to gain, in the process, a new safe recipe for evenings when you want to please without complicating your life.
