Endive

Similar veggies:

Radicchio, curly endive, sugarloaf chicory

A quick introduction

Endive grows very well at the Stadsgroenteboer (at least so far!), sometimes a little too well and we end up with huge endive heads that won't fit into our boxes. Due to the ease with which it grows we are quite fond of this classic Dutch vegetable. We also love the bitter taste and found out that there are so many more ways to use endive than the Dutch 'andijvie stamppot' (nothing wrong with it though!). Curly endive has frizzy leaves while normal endive has bigger smooth leaves. The taste is very similar but curly endive sometimes has more tender leaves and can be used raw in salads (at least the inner leaves that are lighter in colour). We noticed that endive often gets confused with lettuce as they can look very similar. Endive can be easily recognized by its bitter taste and tougher leaves.

Storage

Keeps well in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.

Season

Spring to fall

Suggestions for preparation

Endive is a classic Dutch vegetable that is traditionally used for 'andijvie stamppot', mashed potatoes with endive. We think this is a pretty genius way to use endive and recommend you try making it if you haven't before. At the farm we like to eat this 'stamppot' with a fresh fried farm egg on top, a great vegetarian variation. Endive also pairs very well with anchovies and garlic and the three of them make for a great pasta sauce. The inner leaves can be eaten raw in a salad, but only if you appreciate bitter tasted.