Chicories - Endives, Escarole & Radicchio
Belgian endive, escarole, and radicchio are all chicories. They are related to lettuces, but have sturdier leaves and a more assertive flavor famous for its bitter edge. They are cool weather crops (heat makes them bolt and turn unpleasantly bitter) typically planted in late summer and harvested in late fall and early winter. Mild climates extend the harvest through the winter and into early spring. Use chicories to add a bright, bracing element to salads or cook them to mellow their flavors in one of these simple, tasty recipes.
Types of Chicories
Chicories are closely related to lettuces, but heartier and with a bitter edge. Cool weather crops that come into season in late fall (and last in temperate climates through early spring), chicories provide a lot of flavor to seasonal fall and winter meals. They include Belgian endive, curly endive, escarole, and radicchio. See the differences here.
Chicories are closely related to lettuces, but heartier and with a bitter edge. Cool weather crops that come into season in late fall (and last in temperate climates through early spring), chicories provide a lot of flavor to seasonal fall and winter meals. They include Belgian endive, curly endive, escarole, and radicchio. See the differences here.
Braised Belgian Endives
Slowly cooking endives in a bit of butter and lemon juice yields tender, luscious, almost sweet result in this easy recipe.
Slowly cooking endives in a bit of butter and lemon juice yields tender, luscious, almost sweet result in this easy recipe.
Curly Endive (Frisee) Salad With Poached Egg
This classic French bistro offering is easy to make and a perfect light and quick supper when served with crusty bread. The rich creaminess of the egg provides the perfect foil for the crunchy, bitter greens.
This classic French bistro offering is easy to make and a perfect light and quick supper when served with crusty bread. The rich creaminess of the egg provides the perfect foil for the crunchy, bitter greens.
Escarole & Chickpea Stew
Loosely based on leblebi, a Tunisian breakfast soup, this chickpeas and escarole stew is a quick and easy one-dish dinner.
Loosely based on leblebi, a Tunisian breakfast soup, this chickpeas and escarole stew is a quick and easy one-dish dinner.
Escarole & Roasted Beet Salad
Toss crisp escarole and sweet beets to create an easy, delicious salads perfect with warming fall and winter meals.
Toss crisp escarole and sweet beets to create an easy, delicious salads perfect with warming fall and winter meals.
Radicchio Risotto
The bitter edge of radicchio is cooked off a bit in this risotto, but the primary flavor does involve the sophisticated slightly bitter flavor one expects in chicories, endives, and radicchio.
The bitter edge of radicchio is cooked off a bit in this risotto, but the primary flavor does involve the sophisticated slightly bitter flavor one expects in chicories, endives, and radicchio.