How about some super soft and smooth Belgian braised endives with butter, brown sugar and vinegar… This vegetable side dish is such a delicacy!
Belgian braised endives.
I think that you would all be very surprised to know how many kilos of this great vegetable both me and the hubs eat every year here at home!
Sure, here you can find Belgian endives the whole year through but let’s say that the real endive season starts around mid-October until end of March.
At least that is the time when I find them the most savory and exquisite.
Autumn Vegetable
Belgian endives at their best!
Can you find endives easily around where you live?
Here in Spain I can also bough them, but I have to admit that the quality here is far lower than the Belgian ones. It is all about flavor. And that often depends on how the endives are cultivated: in soil or also in water.
I am sure I don’t have to tell you which one is the best.
The soil endives are extremely flavorful and much smaller in size than the water grown versions. In Belgium we call soil endives ‘vollegrondwitloof’. You’ll never see me buy the other water type!
Easy Braised Endives, a Belgian classic!
This endive recipe goes extremely well with game, steak and fowl.
I truly have a weakness for the classic pheasant or partridge with succulently smothered endives and potato croquettes. Add a good abbey draft beer to this royal banquette fit for a king as well and I am all ears!
See, now I am getting extremely hungry…
Are you looking for more endive recipes?
Endive Recipes
Then you should also try out another classic Belgian dish: endive rolls with ham au gratin or witloofrolletjes! This is another popular dish in Belgium, and it is quite unique!
Or how about my endive, beer and brown shrimp soup?
That is another delicacy that is perfect on a cold autumn day.
Enjoy!
Easy Belgian Braised Endives Recipe
Super soft and smooth Belgian braised endives with butter, brown sugar and vinegar... What a delicacy!
- 4 fresh Belgian endives
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter diced
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- nutmeg
- pepper
- salt
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Rinse the endives and let them drain on a clean kitchen towel. Then trim the reddish bottom part a little and slice the endives lengthwise in half. Season them with a little pinch of pepper, salt and nutmeg.
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Place the endives cut side down in a dry pan (with a lid). Don't add any butter or oil yet!
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Place the pan over high heat and let the endives caramelize for about 5 minutes until they are a little golden.
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Then add the diced butter and season lightly again with a little pepper, salt and nutmeg.
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Let the endives bake in the melted butter for 3 minutes. Then pour in a glass of water, sprinkle with the brown sugar and put a lid on the pan.
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Bring the endives to a rolling boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and braise them for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are very soft and dark brown. Regularly check if you need to add extra water. Shake the pan every once in a while to prevent the endives from burning. In the end carefully flip them over using 2 forks and sprinkle with the (balsamic) vinegar. Add extra water if necessary.
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Check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt or nutmeg to taste if necessary. Transfer the endives onto a warm serving dish or divide them over plates. Serve immediately while hot.
