Braised Endive with Wine

Braised Endive with Wine © kvalifood.com

Braised endive is an elegant side dish where the endive’s mild bitterness is softened in butter, white wine, and carrot. The dish is straightforward to make and goes well with chicken, ham, liver, and other meat dishes.

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 4 heads endive (Belgian endive / witloof)
  • 25 g butter
  • 1 carrot, coarsely grated
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1½ dl dry white wine (or chicken stock)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • chopped parsley

Directions

Prepare the endive

Clean the endive and halve it lengthways. Remove the core.

Braise

Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the endive until lightly golden. Add the grated carrot, chopped shallot, and white wine. Put the lid on and steam over low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes so the liquid reduces slightly.

Serving

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve as a side dish.

Notes

  • Endive has a lightly bitter flavour that becomes mild and sweet when braised.
  • Finely chopped bell pepper can replace the carrot for a different flavour variation.
  • The dish goes well with chicken, ham, smoked loin of pork, liver, and meatball dishes.
  • Stock can be used instead of white wine — the wine does give a finer flavour though.
  • Do not use too high heat: the endive should steam slowly to keep its shape.