Delicious LC dish

Oh my goodness, that looks so good! I think what you are calling
Chicory hearts is what we here in the U.S. call Belgian endive. It's a
tightly packed bunch of lettuce that is very crunchy and sweet. Right?

Looks good. I'll try it.
Rebecca

Brian said:

One of the nicest traditional recipes that I have encountered while living
in Belgium is that for braised chicory, wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce,
topped with grilled grated cheese. I am no expert in calculating
carbohydrate content but the ingredients suggest to me that this is a
relatively LC meal.

I know chicory is sold in the UK and US as a salad vegetable so this
cooked recipe may be an interesting and very tasty alternative:

CHICONS AU GRATIN (CHICORY HEARTS IN CHEESE SAUCE)

INGREDIENTS for 4 people

8
Chicory hearts

4
Slices of ham (not too thick)

6
Fluid ounces of fresh cream

1.75
ounces of grated cheddar cheese

1.25
ounces of butter

Salt and black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

· Cut the ham in 2 along its length to make oblong slices,
large enough to wrap around the chicory.

· Place the chicory hearts in a saucepan. Add water to half
the height of the chicory hearts.

· Add a few knobs of butter and salt. Cover, heat and allow to
simmer for about 40 minutes.

· Drain the juice into a smaller saucepan, remove and roll
each chicory heart with a slice of ham. Place them side by side in a
buttered oven dish.

· Boil the remaining juice and reduce by a third of its
original volume. Add the cream and again reduce by a third of the volume.

· Remove from the heat and add two thirds of the grated
cheddar. Pepper to taste.

· Pour the cheese sauce over the chicory hearts. Sprinkle the
rest of the grated cheese over the top. Add a few knobs of butter.

· Place the dish under the grill until the cheese browns.
Serve hot with vegetables of choice or a side salad.

Brian

Quoted message said:

Brian said:

One of the nicest traditional recipes that I have encountered while
living
in Belgium is that for braised chicory, wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce,
topped with grilled grated cheese. I am no expert in calculating
carbohydrate content but the ingredients suggest to me that this is a
relatively LC meal.

"Rebecca" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:2qDcd.409592$Fg5.81267@attbi_s53...

Quoted message said:

Oh my goodness, that looks so good! I think what you are calling Chicory
hearts is what we here in the U.S. call Belgian endive. It's a tightly
packed bunch of lettuce that is very crunchy and sweet. Right?

Looks good. I'll try it.

Indeed you are correct, Rebecca. The web site www.belgianendive.com gives
several other recipe suggestions. I would not describe it as anything like
lettuce though and the taste of the leaves is quite tangy of even bitter.
Perhaps it depends if they are genuine Belgian grown chicory (chicons) or if
they are grown in the US.
The endive description is normally used for the summer growth of green
leaves that are cooked and are very similar to spinach. The roots are about
10-12 inches long and look like parsnips but are inedible. In the autumn,
the roots are pulled up and are replanted in trenches of soft earth. The
trenches are then covered with black plastic tunnels and the roots then
reshoot with these tightly bunched white chicons.
I grow them indoors in a large plastic garbage bin and the result is
amazingly good.
I hope you enjoy the recipe.

Brian

Brian said:

Indeed you are correct, Rebecca. The web site www.belgianendive.com gives
several other recipe suggestions. I would not describe it as anything like
lettuce though and the taste of the leaves is quite tangy of even bitter.
Perhaps it depends if they are genuine Belgian grown chicory (chicons) or if
they are grown in the US.

Quite possible. I refer to it as lettuce, because I've only ever seen
or used it in salad, where I find it quite delicious. Certainly not
bitter, as you describe. The summer growth of endive, the curly stuff
(see
http://www.wegmans.com/kitchen/ingredients/produce/vegetables/endive.asp)
I do find bitter, and have never seen it cooked. I'll have to try that
some time. I've grown the non-curly variety myself in the past and
found it a very hardy garden plant, and pretty useful for a salad, since
it grows all summer, and doesn't bolt like other lettuces. I wouldn't
have known about that though, except that I had Swiss neighbors and saw
it growing all over their garden, and knew that she served it as a salad
to her family.

Quoted message said:

The endive description is normally used for the summer growth of green
leaves that are cooked and are very similar to spinach. The roots are about
10-12 inches long and look like parsnips but are inedible. In the autumn,
the roots are pulled up and are replanted in trenches of soft earth. The
trenches are then covered with black plastic tunnels and the roots then
reshoot with these tightly bunched white chicons.
I grow them indoors in a large plastic garbage bin and the result is
amazingly good.

So I could have been growing the little Belgian endive hearts with the
leftovers of my endive plants. I sure wish I had known that. And now,
here I am in California without a garden. I'll have to save that
knowledge for when we return to the midwest and again have a little land.

Thanks!
Rebecca

"Rebecca" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:e1Tcd.271087$D%.55498@attbi_s51...

Quoted message said:

Brian wrote:

So I could have been growing the little Belgian endive hearts with the
leftovers of my endive plants. I sure wish I had known that. And now,
here I am in California without a garden. I'll have to save that
knowledge for when we return to the midwest and again have a little land.

You could indeed have grown them yourself using those roots. I have my
garbage can cultivation in a heated store room where the temperature is
probably much the same as in northern California (my daughter lives there).
Still, you do need a bit of garden space in which to cultivate the roots.
Thanks for the additional information. I must admit though, that I am not
fond of the leaves from the first growth.

Brian

"Brian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

One of the nicest traditional recipes that I have encountered while living
in Belgium is that for braised chicory, wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce,
topped with grilled grated cheese. I am no expert in calculating
carbohydrate content but the ingredients suggest to me that this is a
relatively LC meal.

Brian,

Just to let you know that I tried this last week, and the kids had seconds -
the ultimate complement for a vegetable : )

Nicky.

--
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T2 DX 05/2004