Maybe the freezing cold temperatures have me thinking of springy dishes, but I whipped this one up to use some random endives I had purchased earlier in the week with absolutely no plan on how to use them. Turns out they're really a yummy and underrated vegetable, especially roasted. Topped with toasted walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and a sauce made of butter, dijon mustard and capers gives it this decadent buttery, salty, crunchy side dish. Just go with me on this!!
I'm going to be completely honest here, but I've never cooked an endive, nor have I ever tasted one. I've seen them used in lieu of taco shells, but I really can't get behind that. The ends are a little tough, but I left them for aesthetic purposes. When we ate them, we just didn't eat the very bottom. It was kind of fun though. It was like a loaded, buttery, cheesy vegetable boat you can pick up with your hands and enjoy.
With a little spray oil down on the pan and on the endives, I put together a little seasoning mix to ensure they're well-seasoned before roasting. Salt, dill, ground fennel, tarragon and celery seed to keep it earthy and to offset the butter/dijon sauce.
Next I laid down my raw walnuts to also toast with the endives in the oven. Into a preheated oven of 425° for 15 minutes, that's it. The endives roasted up as well as the walnuts.
Plating the endives, I set aside the toasted walnuts and got them chopped up into smaller pieces. Next is the sauce.
Melting the butter until it begins to brown, I then added in the garlic and let it cook for about a minute, and then the dijon mustard. It takes on a bit of a thick texture so just keep stirring it a bit to ensure the butter and mustard come together. Lastly, add in the drained capers and drizzle over the endives.
Last step is to top with the toasted walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, chiffonade parsley and flakey sea salt. To chiffonade the parsley, just roll it up and slice into thin slices.
That's it! A really simple side dish that looks pretty, tastes great, and screams spring. Brighter days are ahead if you're in the Chicago area!!
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