Braised Belgium Endives

Deliciously cooked endives offer a unique bitter and sweet flavor. Cooking endives produces an enriched, delicate yet snappy/crisp taste entirely different from the raw vegetable. Try this flavourful sidedish approach to the endive experience.

Preparation Time: 5 min          Cooking Time: 20 min         Servings: 4

Ingredients:
6 Belgian endives
1 oz butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp sugar
Sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper to taste

Preparation:

Rinse and dry the endives and remove any leaves that have darkened. Trim the ends slightly and using a small knife, remove the bitter core at the base of each head. Place in a large flat sauce pan. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Add butter that is cut into knobs, sugar, lemon juice, and add 1 inch of water into the pan. The water should be half of the height of the endives when laid in  the pan. Cover with parchment paper with a hole in the centre and put the lid on. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the centre close to the core is tender.

Serve as garnish with cooking juice or use drain thoroughly in “Belgium Endives Gratin Rolled in Ham”.

Notes: Endive is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in folate and vitamins A and K   besides being high in fiber.