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!

endive-prosciuttoWrapped 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

  1. Preheat your griddle or BBQ – Brush with a little vegetable oil.
  2. Mix the olive oil with the lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and sugar.
  3. Slice the endives into halves; remove the base and brush with the flavoured oil.
  4. Place the halves endives back together to seal the marinade inbetween the halves.
  5. Wrap each endive with a slice of prosciutto and secure with a bamboo skewer if necessary.
  6. Place on the hot BBQ or griddle and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
  7. Transfer onto a plate and drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar and top with chopped chives.