Marcella Hazan’s Roasted Belgian Endive

The other day at the store, I was handed a raw leaf of Belgian Endive filled with some nondescript cream cheese and olive spread. The intent was to sell me the spread; instead, I bought a pound of the endive. Now what to do with it? I searched the web for endive, and turned up Marcella Hazan’s recipe for Roasted Belgian Endive. Very simple: olive oil, endive, salt, and pepper. Roasting transforms this somewhat bitter vegetable into sweet awesomeness. This is a wonderful vegetable side dish for any Holiday meal. Enjoy!

Yield: 6 servings

Directions:

This is as simple as it gets! Just cut the stem back and remove any damaged outer leaves. Then, cut in half lengthwise. Make a cut in the root end, cutting half as deep as the root is thick and running the cut from the bottom to where the leaves join the root. Place the halves in a roasting pan, cut side up, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Then drizzle over with some extra virgin olive oil. Roast 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then turn the endive over and roast another 20 minutes. The outer leaves should caramelize. Serve warm and enjoy!