This post is dedicated to a green with what seems to be multiple personality disorder. Today, we examine endive, or rather chicory. Or frisee. Or grumolo. Or succory. Or escarole. Or witloof.

Endive/chicory/etc. is botanically referred to as Cichorium endivia.  However, within that species, there are a number of varietals – including radicchio, untarelle, and Belgian endive. The two main varieties of endive we eat in the US are broad-leaved (escarole) and curly-leaved (frisee, which is also a technique for wilting leaves in oil). We usually eat only the leaves of the plant, but if you travel to Louisiana, you’re bound to see chicory coffee. This coffee doesn’t have lettuce leaves in it – it contains ground Cichorium root. Do yourself a favor and drink a cup or two with a beignet – it’s delicious.

Illustration courtesy Chuck Groenink

In addition to augmenting the flavor profile of your coffee, endive is also quite common in salads, and used as a food source by butterfly and moth larvae. The plants also grow a number of beautiful blue flowers, which are noted for the regularity with which they open. Carolus Linnaeus, our hero of taxonomic classification, used chicory in the flower clock he constructed in Sweden.  

To plant your own chicory, place seeds one inch deep, and about a foot apart.  Then you can follow this advice from botanical.com: “Dig up in October as many as may be needed, and after cutting off the leaves, it is well to let the roots be exposed to the air for a fortnight or three weeks; they should then be planted in deep boxes or pots of sand or light soil, leaving 8 inches between the soil and the top of the box. A cover of some sort is put on the box to exclude the light and the box put into a warm place, either in a warm green-house… or in a moderately warm cellar and shed from which frost is excluded. Deprived of light, the young oncoming leaves become blanched and greatly elongated, and in this state are cut and sent to the market.”

According to herbal lore, the roots of the endive are slightly sedative, and are also said to treat jaundice, gout, and liver problems. Bruised leaves of the plant protect against swelling, inflammation, and feeble stomachs.  However, be careful if you’re going to take chicory/endive/etc. – too much of a good thing can harm your digestive organs, or cause a “fullness of blood in the head,” harming your vision.  

Endive is low in fat, cholesterol, and calories (as are most greens). It’s also high in fiber; vitamins A, C, E, and K; thiamin; riboflavin; folate; calcium; and iron, among others. If you want to reap the nutritional benefits of a diet rich in endive, consider adding shredded leaves to your salads. The vegetable is known for being a bit bitter, though, so you may want to cook it up first. Below is my recipe suggestion, a warm salad with orange dressing.

Endive Salad with Orange Dressing (Vegan)
For the salad:
2 beets
2 bulbs flat-leaved endive, shredded
1 head curly endive, shredded
1 bulb radicchio, shredded
1 bunch asparagus (about 12)
1 carrot, grated
3/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the dressing:
Juice of 2 oranges
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Black pepper

Roast beets in oven for one hour (or microwave for 15 minutes). Peel and slice thinly. Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, removing when tender, but not limp. Slice into 3-4” sections. Heat oil and walnuts in large skillet, then add carrots and greens. Cook for two minutes, toss with beets and asparagus. To prepare dressing, pulse all ingredients in food processor, then pour over salad.

Source: www.botanical.com