Endive

This article describes the seed-grown members of the Chicorum family, including curly endive, escarole, and radicchio. Unlike confusing chicory, these vegetables are grown for their leaves, not roots. Lettuce-like in form, they display higher heat-tolerance, making them good salad additions in summer months, when lettuce and spinach have gone to seed. All three possess the mild bitterness characteristic of the chicory family, and mature leaves are more suited to cooking than serving raw. One last bit of vocabulary confusion: in some markets, curly endive is called "frisee."

What to Look For:

1. Heads that are heavy for size.
2. Abundant, crisp leaves.
3. Strong color, whether green or red.

Endive Storage and Preparation Tips:

1. Remove any limp or discolored leaves.
2. Refrigerate in plastic bag.
3. When ready to use, wash very thoroughly; leaves tend to retain more soil than smoother-leaved lettuce.
4. Remove and discard core.

Cooking with Endives:

Radicchio is the family member best suited, even when mature, to serving raw. It brings color, crunch, and taste to a green salad. Curly endive also enhances salads, although its slightly prickly quality suggests use in moderation. Escarole has a strong "chew" that lends it better to cooking.

Italian cooks braise or simmer both radicchio and escarole in broth. Small heads can be cut in quarters before cooking. A traditional Italian comfort food is chicken-escarole soup, with or without white beans. The assertive taste of both radicchio and escarole stands up well in sauces containing cheese. Escarole can be quickly sautéed in olive oil and garlic. In general, cooking will moderate the bitterness of mature heads of escarole without destroying its distinctive flavor.

Endive Nutrition Highlights:

Radicchio remains a luxury item in American markets and spends less time in the ground than its sturdier cousins, thus offering more entertainment and less nutrition than curly endive or escarole. Its high levels of lutein and vitamin K, however, distinguish it from other salad components.

Curly endive and escarole offer the benefits of other cookable greens: high levels of vitamin A, beta-carotene, folate and potassium, along with good calcium and iron content. High levels of vitaminn E and vitamin K contribute to healthy cell membranes and blood supply. Lutein levels are extremely high.

Nutrients of Endive