I think endive is one of the most confusing categories of winter greens.
For many years the only endive I knew was Belgian endive, a vegetable with narrow, tightly bunched leaves that are blanched as they grow and make scoop-like wrappers useful for fancy hors d’oeuvres. In all my trips to local farmers markets, I haven’t seen anyone offer Belgian endive, although I could certainly have missed a head or two.
It turns out Belgian endive is a member of the chicory family, which includes radicchio; curly endive, also known as frisée; and escarole.
Curly endive, which is also sold as chicory, is a beautiful, frilly lettuce-like green with deeply cut dark green outer leaves and pale inner leaves that naturally blanch to a creamy white. If it were left to flower, the plants would have pale blue blossoms.
David Bentoski of D&A Farm in Zebulon grows endive and brings it to his booth at the Morningside Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. It turns out I’m not the only one who’s confused. “A lot of people recognize that it’s not lettuce,” Bentoski told me, “but they don’t know what to do with it. I tell them it’s pretty versatile. Put it in a salad or cook it.”
Bentoski admitted he’s not the biggest fan of this green, which can be kind of bitter. “It’s not something I munch on straight from the garden, but I know it’s good for me so I mix it into salads from time to time,” he said.
The variety that’s done the best for him is ‘Rhodos’, available as organic seed and well suited for growing in this area. “I grow about 1,000 heads a year. As a percentage of the greens I grow, that’s pretty small,” Bentoski said.
It turns out 1,000 heads weren’t enough this year. He’s sold all he’s grown because it’s become so popular.
Seed planted in late summer will grow into plants of harvestable size around the middle of October. The plants hold in the ground, just growing larger and larger, unless we get a spell of very warm weather. Shorter daylight hours seem to keep the leaves from getting as bitter, so the rosettes of leaves are good until a hard freeze burns the foliage and makes it less appealing for customers.
Bentoski will plant it again in late winter or early spring, and as long as we don’t have a spell of very warm weather should be offering endive again by April.
Look for heads of curly endive that are fresh and crisp. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a week, depending on freshness.
At local farmers markets
For sale
Vegetables and nuts: African squash, arugula, Asian greens, beans, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, dandelion, endive, fennel, garlic, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, mache, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, pecans, peppers, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips
From local reports
Warm Curly Endive Salad With Andouille Vinaigrette
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
This recipe is adapted from one demonstrated at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market by chef Steven Herman of Haven Restaurant. The combination of the warm andouille sausage dressing with the crisp greens is inspired.
1/4 pound andouille sausage, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 head curly endive, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
In a large skillet, cook andouille sausage over medium-high heat until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add jalapeno and garlic and cook until sausage is browned and vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and mustard and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in olive oil and remove from heat. Season to taste.
In a serving bowl, combine curly endive and dried cherries. Pour warm sausage mixture over greens and serve immediately.
Per serving: 316 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 5 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 26 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 19 milligrams cholesterol, 259 milligrams sodium.
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