Grilled Endive with Mediterranean Tahini Vinaigrette

Mediterranean Tahini paste is made from crushed sesame seeds and has quite a nutty taste. It is available in jars, cans and also in dehydrated form.

Hulled tahini does not grind the whole sesame seed and because of this it does not contain as much calcium, protein and vitamins as unhulled. Unhulled tahini is made from the whole sesame seed, and it is the most nutritionally dense type of tahini. Hulled tahini is not as bitter tasting as the unhulled type.

Raw tahini contains more nutrients than roasted tahini.

Tahini is a source of calcium, protein and B vitamins. Tahini is a good source of essential fatty acids (EFA), these EFA’s are used in helping to maintain healthy skin.

Because one of the ingredients in tahini is sesame oil, it has quite a high calorie content. Because of this tahini should be used in moderation. The good news is the majority of fats in tahini are unsaturated rather than saturated.

Tahini is a source of vitamin E which helps to reduce the rate of aging in body cells.

Sesame seeds are also a good source of the amino acid Methionine. Methionine is an important contributor to liver detoxification and helps with the absorption of other amino acids.

Try this grilled endive with Mediterranean tahini vinaigrette. It’s a delicious, nutritious endive recipe. Even better your kids will love it and they won’t even know that it’s good for them!

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

In a large non-metallic bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the endive and toss. Set aside at room temperature to marinate, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Prepare a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill the endive cut side down until lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes depending on your grill. Turn, brush with any remaining marinade, and cook until crisp-tender and lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes depending on your grill. Serve warm.

CaliforniaEndive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

Grilled Endive With Balsamic Rosemary Marinade

Let’s make grilled endive. This recipe is super easy and delightfully easy to enjoy California Endive. It makes a great side dish to any entree you’re serving. You can make this recipe using any marinade you like. Don’t forget to visit endive.com for more great recipes.

Use 6 heads endive (red, white, or a combination), halved lengthwise through the root end.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the marinade
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers (optional)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

In a large non-metallic bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the endive and toss. Set aside at room temperature to marinate, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Prepare a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill the endive cut side down until lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes depending on your grill. Turn, brush with any remaining marinade, and cook until crisp-tender and lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes depending on your grill. Serve warm.

California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

Endive Pear and Feta Bites

Author: Kara Mae Adamo

The following recipe is a simple-to-make hors d’oeuvre that is perfect for the summertime because it’s light and the pears are ripe and juicy around this time of year.

It is my personal recommendation to use Anjou pears with this dish because they are refreshing with just a touch of citrus. Pair this dish with a clean Sauvignon Blanc with a crisp finish and notes of grapefruit to compliment the citrus of the Anjou. The wine will also compliment the cheese without overwhelming your palate.

This recipe, courtesy of Aida Mollenkamp, is designed to make 8-12 servings as an hors d’oeuvre. Here is the original link: http://endive.com/node/82

Ingredients

* 3 medium heads California Endive
* ¾ cup of feta cheese, diced
* 2 cups of Anjou pears, diced
* 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Trim the ends off the heads of the California Endive and remove the leaves (you will need 30-40 leaves); set them aside.

Gently toss the feta cheese,Anjoupears, lemon juice, olive oil and coriander in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Season this with salt and pepper and toss to coat well.

Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese-pear mixture into each endive leaf and serve immediately.

CaliforniaEndive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

White Beans with Bacon and Endive Stew

Recipe: epicurious.com

Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.

Stews may be thickened by reduction or with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manie,  a dough consisting of equal parts of butter and flour. Thickeners like cornstarch or arrowroot may also be used.

Stews are similar to soups,  and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Generally, stews have less liquid than soups, are much thicker and require longer cooking over low heat. While soups are almost always served in a bowl, stews may be thick enough to be served on a plate with the gravy as a sauce over the solid ingredients

Team this hearty dish with a pork or chicken entrée, or just add some crusty bread and make a meal out of it.

Yield: Makes 8 (side-dish) servings

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-pound head curly endive, rinsed, leaves torn coarsely

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), drained well

1/3 cup canned beef broth

Preparation:

Cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pot and sauté until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add half of endive with water still clinging to leaves. Cover pot and cook until endive is wilted, stirring once, about 4 minutes. Add remaining half of endive and chopped garlic. Cover and cook until endive leaves are wilted but still bright green, stirring once, about 4 minutes. Add cannellini, beef broth, and bacon. Cook bean mixture until heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Endive

Recipe: Michael Symon

Chicken is rated as a very good source of protein, providing 67.6% of the daily value for protein in 4 ounces. The structure of humans and animals is built on protein. We derive our amino acids from animal and plant sources of protein, then rearrange the nitrogen to make the pattern of amino acids we require.

People who are meat eaters, but are looking for ways to reduce the amount of fat in their meals, can try eating more chicken. The leanest part of the chicken is the chicken breast, which has less than half the fat of a trimmed Choice grade T-bone steak. The fat in chicken is also less saturated than beef fat. However, eating the chicken with the skin doubles the amount of fat and saturated fat in the food. For this reason, chicken is best skinned before cooking.

A low fat yet delicious choice is our Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Endive. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts with the first wing joint attached

1 lemon

12 sage leaves

6 ounces butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

Caramelized endive, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove any excess fat off chicken. Slice lemons paper-thin. Under the skin of the chicken place 2 slices of lemon and 2 leaves of sage. Heat butter in large skillet over high flame. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down in skillet until golden brown. Turn over and sear other side. Place entire skillet on wire rack in oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and serve over caramelized endive.

Caramelized Endive:

6 ounces butter

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 sliced shallots

6 heads endive, sliced thinly lengthwise

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan melt  butter over low heat. Add your garlic and shallots and cook until translucent about 2 minutes. Place endive in the saucepan, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat, until endive is tender.
California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

Endive and Escarole Salad with Mustard-Orange Vinaigrette

Recipe: epicurious.com

It turns out that endives contain essential amino acids, fats, starch, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, and B1, B2, C, K and P vitamins.

Endive stimulates appetite, are a light laxative, are known from ancient times to possess health benefits.  and are ideal for weight loss, are 95 percent water and contain only 7.5 calories
per cup.

A salad of oranges and slightly bitter endive and escarole rounds out the buffet of fried latkes and rich toppings.

Ingredients:

2 navel oranges

2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoonsDijonmustard

1 medium head escarole, torn into 2- to 3-inch pieces (12 cups)

4 Belgian endives, leaves separated and halved crosswise
Preparation:

Grate 1 teaspoon zest from 1 orange and reserve.

Cut peel, including white pith, from oranges with a sharp knife. Cut segments free from membranes into a bowl. Squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from membranes into a large bowl and whisk together with reserved zest, vinegar, oil, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until emulsified.

Add escarole, endive, and orange segments to vinaigrette and gently toss.

Cooks’ notes: •Escarole can be washed and dried 1 day ahead and chilled, layered between paper towels in a sealable bag.
•Orange segments can be cut and vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately. Whisk vinaigrette before using.
California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

California/Belgian Endive Isn’t One Thing…It’s Everything

“Flavor and versatility” are key words, plus “high nutrition”…high minerals, low sodium and one calorie per leaf! The tangy, deep, well-rounded flavor is unmatched by any other endive. The flavor changes subtly when endive is steamed, stewed, broiled or baked.

Genuine Californian/Belgian Endive ranks with the great wines, truffles, caviar and the best saffron. It is the very best of its class. The tangy flavor is an elegant counterpoint to any topping Fillings like salmon, caviar, seafoods, cheeses, and specialty dips are perfect patron pleasers.

Cooked, its distinctly muted Genuine Californian/Belgian Endive flavor adds subtle touches. Perfect for “Soupe de Bruxelles”- and other cream or meat soups. Popular in meat based soup and stews, too! Genuine Endive is deeply rooted in Belgian history. These tangy, tender and delicious white vegetables were actually discovered there in 1830. Today, endive’s fame and versatility has spread worldwide. . .as more and more cooks and chefs turn to Californian/Belgium endive for the most flavorful, hardiest, tastiest endive in the world, and the only source for the very best quality endive.

Today, more and more Americans are discovering that their first taste of Californian/Belgian endive is an unexpected pleasure and tangy sophisticated flavor is a lasting pleasure to return to time and again. No wonder Genuine Belgian Endive is truly a gift to the world.

California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111 Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

Endive Tabouli Canoes

Recipe: Vegaliciousrecipies.com

Tabouli  (pronounced: tuh-boo-lee) is a Middle Eastern wheat salad. is a Levantine salad traditionally made of bulgur, finely chopped parsley  and mint, tomato and spring onion, seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil

It is eaten cold and is a terrific substitute for a potato or rice dish. It needs to chill for at least 1 hour before serving. It’s actually best to make it the day before serving so that all the flavors blend together.

Most of the ingredients in tabouli are virtually fat free. The bulgur wheat used as the basis of the dish contains no cholesterol and has less than 0.1 percent fat.

The herbs, tomato and onion added to the bulgur in taboule are likewise almost fat free. The olive oil used as a dressing does add a relatively small amount of fat to the dish, but the fat in olive oil is unsaturated. Saturated fat is believed to be the most harmful to your overall health.

Ingredients

2-3 California Endives
4-5 large rosettes of cauliflower
1 red bell pepper
1 Cup green peas fresh
½ Cup fresh parsley
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/r Cup fresh mint leaves finely chopped
¾ Cups bulgur or couscous
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
A dash of salt

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, pour the water over the cracked wheat and cover, let stand about 20 minutes until wheat is tender and water is absorbed.

Add the chopped cauliflower, red bell pepper, green peas, parsley, tomatoes, mint and toss with the mix. Combine the oil, lemon juice, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to wheat mixture and mix well.

Spoon into endive boats. Chill. Serve and enjoy!

California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

California Endive Will Be At the PMA Conference and Expo

Author: Kara Mae Adamo.

On July 29th-31st, California Endive will be participating at the 30th annual Produce Marketing Association Conference & Exposition in Monterey, California.

Set against the backdrop of Monterey’s picturesque coastline, the expo will be celebrating the last three decades’ success as one of the leading Foodservice events in the country. PMA President & CEO, Bryan Silbermann, will deliver a keynote speech on the current trends seen in the foodservice and produce industries.

At the event, participants will have the opportunity to network with foodservice distributors, wholesalers, chefs, menu developers, restaurant owners & operators, brokers, consultants, processors, grower-shippers, packers, industry product/service providers and the trade press while learning to build brand awareness with PMA’s Business Development team.

Attendees are invited to enjoy live chef demonstrations of cutting-edge culinary innovations featuring California Endive in the exciting 2011 “Best of Flavor” competition.
At the competition, chefs will be demonstrating how you can enhance the flavors of different types of produce to create a livelier, tastier experience!

A number of philanthropic events will be held throughout the weekend, including a charitable 5K race and golf tournament.

We encourage you by our booth and learn all about California Endive’s extensive health benefits while enjoying delicious samples prepared by our chefs. Discover the wonderfully whimsical taste of crisp California Endive and learn how it can be incorporated into fresh salads, hors d’oeuvres and entrées.

The event will be taking place on July 29th through July 31st atin Monterey, CA.
For more information, visit http://legacy.pma.com/foodservice/2011/.

Follow this link to see the full-color brochure on the event: http://legacy.pma.com/foodservice/2011/pdf/2011-brochure.pdf
For more information about California Endive, please visit http://endive.com.

California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com

Grilled Endives with Marjoram Recipe From Mario Batali

Contributed by Mario Batali

Add a pinch of sugar and stick to the stovetop for tender braised endive with multidimensional flavor.

The Problem

Raw Belgian endive has a distinctive bitter flavor that needs to be tamed.

The Goal

The right cooking method transforms sharp, bitter endive into a vegetable side dish of uncommonly complex flavor-at once mellow, sweet, and rich, yet still faintly bitter. The challenge is to develop the deep flavor, richness, and gentle sweetness necessary to balance the endive’s natural bite.

The Solution

Brown the endive in butter and sugar for maximum richness and sweetness, then braise quickly in white wine and chicken broth for a deep yet brightly flavored vegetable side dish.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 Belgian endives, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons finely chopped marjoram

One 4-ounce piece of young provolone, shaved

Preparations:
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the endive halves with all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing.

Grill the endive halves over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly charred and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the endives to a platter, cut side up. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of dressing and sprinkle with the marjoram. Scatter the provolone shavings on top of the endives and serve.

California Endive
15 Poppy House Road
Rio Vista, California 94571
Phone 707-374-2111
Fax 707-374-2063
Email info@endive.com