A simple healthy side dish for pan-fried chicory. Pan-frying transforms chicory from a bitter leaf to a sweet delicious vegetable.
I don’t believe that chicory gets enough love aside from its genius usefulness as a healthy canapé scoop. Perfect with crushed peas and dill, ricotta or an olive tapanade.
I can imagine why – on its own it tastes fairly bitter, so even in a salad paired with creamy avocado or goats cheese and a sweet honey dressing it’s too strong a taste for many.
I can’t recall where I first read that chicory is transformed when pan-fried, but having seen many chefs serve braised lettuce dishes to great affect I thought that chicory deserved the opportunity for a kitchen adventure. As the leaves char in the faint heat of the olive oil they caramelize a treat, and the bitter taste is long gone.
This particular variety of chicory is often referred to as Belgian endive.
This is an incredibly simple dish that I first cooked simply because I had all the ingredients in the fridge to use up. I haven’t dressed the salad as the juices from the cooked chicory make it moist enough. A balsamic glaze would be a great addition.
Pan-fried chicory is best served warm for these autumn days that can’t decide which season they belong to. I’d serve this alongside pan fried or oven baked fish.
- 4 chicory sliced into half or quarters
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch salt
- 20g toasted hazelnuts, crushed
- 40g feta cheese, crumbled
- Thyme leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Warm the oil a large frying pan, then add the chicory cut side down, turning after 3-4 minutes, or when charred underneath. Throw in a pinch of salt, and cook for another 4 minutes.
- When the chicory is browned and soft remove from the pan, draining on kitchen paper if there is too much oil.
- Plate up and sprinkle with the feta, hazelnuts, a scattering of fresh thyme leaves and some black pepper. Simples
Have you ever tried cooking a vegetable in a different way and found you enjoyed it more? Do let me know by commenting below!
I never had fried chicory before but sounds very interested and healthy!
Thanks Diana, love to hear you give it a go and I hope you enjoy it too!
This looks great, I’ve never cooked chicory at home so will have to give this a go! 🙂
Thank you. Yes, do give it a go! Would love to know what you think and I hope you’ll like it as much as I do!
I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest chicory fan as I find it far too bitter. I’ve never had it cooked though so I would happily give it another try if it looked like this.
It tastes completely different – honestly! Got to try it to believe it. Thanks Jemma!
Tried this today – very tasty and unusual combination thanks for sharing
Hello! Amazing recipes – quick question though; I’m looking to char the chicory but am unsure as to what pan I should used (cast iron vs normal non-stick skillet) – what do you suggest?
Very much appreciated!!
Hello! A cast iron pan will give you a better char, so I would use that since you have one! Enjoy
Do some research! The Belgians eat endives in a Bechamel sauce with the Chicons wrapped in ham and finished under the grill with Gruyere (a must) cheese on top.
Yes they do! It’s a delicious way to enjoy endive. This post had no reason to mention this way of serving endive so I don’t know why you are being so aggressive towards my recipe? Odd.