I had no idea what an endive was until one Valentine’s Day my date scored a last minute seat at a local restaurant Fore Street in Portland’s Old Port district in Maine. Fore Street is well known for being a meat eaters restaurant but since I am not an good carnivore, I went for the salad of which I do not recall the name of. This was when I encountered the endive!
These crispy crunchy vegetables I found beneath the figs, pine nuts and creamy house made dressing were magnificent! They were a little bitter which mixed perfectly with the sweet figs. I was hooked!
My next trip to the grocery store I found endives in the produce aisle I couldn’t believe they were there all along and I had no idea! They are cheap too as long as you make sure to grab the ones NOT drenched in water and go for Organic if you can. I find that something sweet goes nicely and complements the endives. You can use them as small simple side salad or include other greens such as kale and arugala to fluff it up for a dinner salad.
Endives, Tomatoes and Sweets
- One endive sliced in two
- Handful of organic kale
- Sliced radish
- A few slices cherry or grape tomatoes
- A few sliced strawberries
- Cherry raisins
- Goat cheese
- Pine nuts
- Balsamic dressing
thegreenartichoke 