Brabantse witlooftaart (Belgian endives' tart)

For ➍*
2 onions, peeled & chopped finely
5 stalks witloof/endives**, cut into 4, lengthwise***/****
150 g bacon, cubed
2 eggs
5 cl milk
100 g Gruyère (or Emmental) cheese, grated
1 pack puff pastry
nutmeg
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C. 
Beat the eggs and season to taste. Add the milk and half the cheese.
Line a baking tin or dish with baking paper. Put the pastry in, puncture with a fork.*****
Spread the the vegetables into the tin, crossing the witloof leaves. Put the bacon on top. Pour the egg mixture over.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Put in the oven for 40 m.
Serve with a small green salad.

*For a smaller tart (for 2 or as a starter or snack), use 3 endives, 75 g bacon. Use the same amounts for the sauce and cheese.

**Use the best quality witloof available, avoid hydroculture witloof. 
***If wanted, you can add 2 stalks blanched celery (or leek), cut into small pieces.

****If wanted, you can stew the vegetables for 1 or 2 m with  a little bit of butter.

*****If wanted, pre-bake the pastry.

Waterzooi met griet en witloof (Flemish fish stew with endives)

For ➍
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
1 leek, into small cubes
6 endives
50 g butter
1 l fish stock*
1 kg mussels**
400 g fillet of brill (or lemon sole)
2 egg yolks
2 dl cream
juice of ½ lemon
3 tbs chopped parsley
pepper & salt
100 g North Sea shrimps

Cut 4 endives into small cubes. Stew the vegetables in ¾ of the butter. Pour over the fish stock and let simmer for 20 m.
Cut the 2 other endives in half and simmer in the remaining butter.
Prepare the mussels and remove them from the shell. Beat the egg yolks into the cream and set aside. Cut the fillets into strips and poach them for 2 m in the soup. Scoop them out and divide among 4 warmed plates.
Do the same with the vegetables from the soup, baked chicory and mussels.
Add the egg mixture to the soup and bring to the boil, stirring. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into the plates with the shrimp.

*Use less to have a less 'supy' dish.
**Omit and replace with more fish.

Plate pie with celeriac, chicory, pears & gorgonzola

For ➍
270 g fresh puff pastry
125 g crème fraiche
1 celeriac
3 stumps witloof / endives
150 g gorgonzola
2 Conférence pears
50 g unroasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Roll out the puff pastry and the accompanying baking paper over a baking sheet. Divide the crème fraîche over it.
Peel the celeriac and cut into 1 cm cubes. Cut the bottom of the witloof, halve the stump lengthwise and remove the hard core. Cut the half stumps in half lengthwise.
Divide the celeriac and witloof over the puff pastry. Cut the gorgonzola into cubes and divide over the vegetables. Bake the plate in the oven for 25 m until done.
Peel the pears, remove the core and cut the flesh into cubes. Spread the walnuts over the pie.

Tortilla with endives & raw milk goat cheese

For ➍
1 shallot, chopped
1 zucchini (or 100 g peas, frozen), cubed
4 heads of chicory, cored cut in strips
2 large flowery potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 tbs finely chopped chives
6 eggs
150 g raw milk goat cheese
baking butter
pepper & salt
rucola salad

Boil the potatoes in salty water.
Bake the shallot in a little butter until glassy. Add the pre-cooked potato cubes and fry for a while. Add the zucchini and chicory and let it bake. Season with pepper and salt.
Beat the eggs and pour them over the vegetables. Crumble the goat cheese over the mixture. Put the lid on the pan and let it cook on a low heat for 10 m.
Turn the tortilla and let it cook for 2 m.
Finish the tortilla with the chopped chives and serve with the rucola salad.

Deer with celeriac mash & endives

For ➍
600 g deer fillets
20 g butter
8 stalks witloof, cleaned
1 celeriac, cut into chunks
200 g potatoes, cut into chunks (or about the same weight as the cleaned celeriac.)
sauce chasseur

Prepare the sauce chasseur without the adding of gravy or wine. Set aside.
Cook the potatoes and celeriac for 20 m. When cooked, add 1 tbs of butter. Make a mash. Set aside.
Brown the deer fillets for 20 m in a stove-top pan with some butter on high fire. Reduce fire, cover the pan, and bake for 20-25 m. Cover and let rest for 15 m.
Add gravy and wine to the sauce. Set aside.
Meanwhile, braise the endives with a little butter for 5-10 m. Keep warm.
Reheat the mash just before serving.
Cut the meat. Serve the meat with the sauce, the mash and endives.

♥︎Kabeljauw met witloof (cod with endives, orange & olives)

For ➍
800 g cod or skrei fillets
1 kg witloof / endives
2 organic oranges
50 g wrinkled black olives
30 g butter
2 tbs olive oil
a few sprigs of dill
pepper & salt

Cut the witloof stalks in 4 along the sides. Fry them on a low heat in a large pan with the warm butter. Season with salt and pepper and put the lid on the pan. Let the witloof to simmer for 10 m. Sprinkle the stalks with the juice of 1 orange and leave to cook for 5 m without lid until they slightly caramelise.
Cut the second orange into slices. Add with half of the dill twigs to the witloof. Place the cod fillets on top and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pan and cook for 8 m on a very low heat. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 2 m.
Add the olives and the remaining sprigs of dill.
Drizzle with a dash of olive oil and serve.

Sint-Jacobsschelpen met witloof & prei (scallops with endives & leeks)

For ➍
200 g scallops
3 endives
2 stalks leek
2 shallots
100 g butter
salt & pepper
1 glass of white wine
100 g grated Gruyère

Clean and chop leeks, endives and shallots.
Put some butter in a pan. Add the vegetables and let them braise slowly.
Season with pepper and salt.
Braise the scallops in butter, white wine, pepper and salt for 15 m on gentle heat.
Add vegetables and mix well.
Fill empty scallop shells with the mixture, sprinkle grated cheese over them.
Lightly grill for some colour.
Or put some of the vegetables in a little heap on each plate. Top with the scallops. Omit the cheese and grilling.

Read the braising endives without water tip. Read the cooking endives @ microwave tip.
Read the related scallops & endives recipe.

Fazantenfilets op zijn Brabants (Flemish pheasant fillets with endives)

For ➍
4 pheasant fillets, skinless
4-6 endives, finely cut
2-4 tbs fond
cream
savoy or turnips mash

Brown the fillets in a well heated pan. Lower the heat and cook the fillets for 5 more m.
Meanwhile sautée the endives in a little butter in another pan on medium heat. After 5 m, add the fillets and the fond. Cover and cook for 5 more m. Add the cream and thicken the sauce for a few m.
Put the fillet on a plate with some sauce.
Serve with a mash of savoy or turnips.

This a simple and quick version of a tradtional Brabant recipe. Read the similar elaborated recipe with guinea fowl.
Read the braising endives without water tip.
Read the cooking endives @ microwave tip.

Parelhoen met witloof & Trappist (guinea fowl with endives & beer)

For ➍
1 guinea fowl (1.5 kg)
salt & pepper
50 g bacon, cubed or sliced
50 g butter
10 shallots, sliced
3 dl Belgian beer, white or blond, blond Trappist recommended*/**
1 ts thyme
3 juniper berries
2 sprigs parsley
1 ts sugar*
6 endives***

Rub the guinea fowl with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter in a pan and bake the bacon for 5 m. Remove the bacon and brown the guinea fowl in the fat. Remove fowl and brown the shallots.
Add beer, thyme, laurel, berries, parsley (and sugar*). Mix.
Add bacon and heat the mixture.
Add the guinea fowl and let it stew on low heat for 45 m.
Heat some water to cook the endives for 10 m.
Add vegetables to the guinea fowl for the last 10 m of the cooking.
Remove the fowl and vegetables. Thicken the sauce, push through a chinois.
Cut guinea fowl into pieces. Put a piece on a warm plate with some sauce and with vegetables. Serve with boiled potatoes*** and blond Trappist beer.

*When using white beer or blond Trappist, don't add sugar. Blond Trappist should be a triple, like Westmalle or Leffe. When Belgian beers are not available, use pale ale instead...
**Add 10 cl fond de gibier to make a smoother sauce.

***Do not use hydroculture endives for a better taste. To have a smoother sauce, cut 1 additional endive into small chunks and put in the sauce from the start.
***Or serve with parsnip mash.

Trappist monasteries were founded by the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe in medieval France. Of the world's 171 Trappist monasteries, only 7 produce beer. 6 of them are in Belgium, brewing the highly valued Trappist following strict prescriptions.
Read the cooking fowl tip. Try the quick version. Read a classic recipe to braise the endives.
Read the braising endives without water tip.
Read the cooking endives @ microwave tip.

Witloof @ wok

For ➍
4 (witloof) endives
½ red pepper
1 lemon
1 tbs (olive) oil
1 clove garlic
2 tbs red pesto
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs of fresh basil

Clean the endives. Tear the leaves off.
Cut the pepper into small cubes.
Wash the lemon, grate the zest and squeeze the lemon.
Heat oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic. Add the endive leaves, pepper, 2 tbs lemon juice, lemon zest and pesto and stir-fry the dish for about 2 m. Bring the dish to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with shredded fresh basil leaves.

Quick prawn curry

For ➋
250 g large prawns
20 g butter
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 ts curry
2 witloof endives, sliced
2 tbs of chives

Wash and dry the prawns.
Heat the butter and garlic. Add the curry.
Add the prawns. Bake 2-3 m on each side.
Add the sliced endives. Cook for 1 m longer. Add a dash of whiskey, bourbon or pernod, if wanted, or lemon juice.
Sprinkle with chives. Serve with garlic bread.

Fennel & quinoa salad

For ➍
250 quinoa (poss. mixed quinoa)
2 volumes vegetable or chicken stock
½ fennel
½ endive (green=andijvie)
2 pink grapefruit
500 g ice cubes
yogurt vinaigrette

Heat a portion of vegetable or chicken stock (or water) to cook the quinoa.
Put the quinoa in a pot. Add twice the volume of heated stock. Boil the grains 15 m. Pour the quinoa in a strainer. Cool under running cold water.
Fill a bowl with water and ice cubes. Shave very thin slices of fennel with the mandolin. Put them in the ice water for the fennel to stay crispy.
Tear the leaves of the endive and rinse in plenty of water. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Or roll a few leaves on a cigar and then cut into fine strips. Add the ice-cooled and drained fennel slices.
Cut top and bottom of a slice of grapefruit. Remove outer skin and cut the grapefruit in wedges.
Spoon the grapefruit slices in the dish with salad.
Squeeze juice out of the rest of the grapefruit and use it for the vinaigrette.
Add the vinaigrette.
Serve with fried fish or grilled chicken or fish burgers.

Lamb fillet & endives' mash

For ➍
5 large potatoes
30 g of butter
600 g lamb fillets (4 pieces)
olive oil
1 leek
2 carrots
½ celeriac

Fry the endives in a casserole with a knob of butter, salt and pepper. Let caramelize.
Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water. Mash the potatoes in a sieve and mix with the endives. Season with salt and pepper. Also add 2 knobs of butter.
Fry the lamb fillets for 3 m on each side in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Peel the leeks, carrots and celery. Cut into very thin strips and fry it until golden brown at 180°C.
Slice the lamb fillets.
Serve with the endives mash and vegetables.

Filet d'Anvers salad with endives

For ➍
320 g filet d'Anvers
4 endives*
1 radicchio
5 tbs olive oil
3 tbs wine vinegar
pepper

Arrange the thin filet d'Anvers on plates.
Cut the endives into thin strips and arrange them over the meat.
Make a dressing of olive oil and vinegar and a turn of the pepper mill. Sprinkle over the endives.
Serve with bread and farm butter.

'Filet d'Anvers' is smoked beef, a speciality of Antwerp. A similar method is used for smoked horse meat. In 19th century UK, horses were used in mining, but the horses could not be slaughtered for human consumption. Old horses were shipped to Antwerp, where they were slaughtered. The meat was then salted, dried and smoked.

Witloofsalade (vegetarian endives' salad)

For ➍
8 endives
30 g chives
20 g mustard seeds, marinated in vinegar or balsamico
a handful of green herbs
20 g mustard
10 g salt
3 g white pepper
1 tbs vinegar
12 tbs g grape pit oil
6 tbs water

Mix all ingredients,except the endives and the mustard seeds, into a rather firm vinaigrette. Cover the chopped endives with it. Add the mustard seeds.
Serve.

Witloofsoep (endives' soup]

For ➍
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek (white only)
15 endives, chopped (reserve some tips)
1.5 l chicken stock
2 laurel leaves
1 bunch thyme
salt & epper
100 g North Sea shrimps, peeled
50 g butter
20 g croutons
parsley, fried

Sauté the onion and the leek in butter. Add endives, stock, thyme and laurel.
Cook on low fire for 1 h.
Put some shrimps, croutons,endives' tips and parsley in each plate. Add hot soup.

Redfish with endives & ginger

For ➍
600 g redfish fillets
600 g endives
16 new potatoes
1 tbs ginger paste
1 tbs honey
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
flour
salt & pepper

Cut the chicory into chunks. Cook for 3 m in olive oil. Add the ginger and let simmer for 3 m. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar and let stew. Mix honey through the endives. Season with salt and pepper.
Boil new potatoes  and drain. Fry them un a little oil until golden.
Season the redfish fillets, rub them in flour. Fry in olive oil until crisp.
Arrange the endives on the plate, put the redfish fillet on it, the potatoes beside it.
Decorate with strips of blanched leek, carrot (and pepper) and a half a braised endive.

Pheasant with mushrooms & kohlrabi risotto

For ➍
2 shallots
200 g mixed mushrooms
100 g kohlrabi
4 dl chicken stock
butter
1 clove of garlic
200 g risotto rice
fresh thyme
Parmigiano cheese
cream
freshly ground black pepper
parsley
2 endives
lemon juice
sugar
4 fillets of pheasants
carcass of pheasant
1 glass of port
sage

Chop the shallot. Brush the mushrooms and cut them small.
Cut the kohlrabi into cubes of 5 mm thick, cook until al dente in the chicken stock.
Fry the mushrooms in butter on high heat, add the shallot and garlic.
Make the risotto.
5 m before the end of cooking of the mushrooms, add kohlrabi, thyme and crushed garlic.
Finish the risotto with grated Parmigiano, cream, black pepper and chopped parsley.
Pull the leaves from the endives. Boil them for 10 m in water with lemon juice. Drain and fry in butter with sugar. Let slightly caramelize.
Fry the pheasant fillets on both sides in butter, put 10 to 12 m in an oven at 100°C.
Create fond of the bones of the pheasant, add port and a sage leaf. Let it boil, filter and add some butter.
Serve the meat with the risotto, the endives and sauce.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Scallops & endives

For ➍
4 heads of endives
12 scallops
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
truffle oil
nutmeg
salt & pepper

Clean the endives and cut it into chunks. Fry them in a pan with butter and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the sugar and extinguish with balsamic vinegar and truffle oil.
Cook the scallops over high heat in a pan with non-stick coating for 2 m per side.

Read the braising endives without water tip, the cooking endives @ microwave tip and on cooking (frozen) scallops. Read another version or the related scallops with endives & leek recipe.

Pomegranate, endives & feta salad

For ➍
3 stalks of Brussels endive or/& radicchio
1 large pomegranate
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbs raspberry vinegar (or regular red vinegar)
a handful of mint leaves
150 g good feta cheese, crumbled
salt & pepper

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate.
Mix the pomegranate seeds with the chopped onion and the raspberry vinegar and let the flavors soak for about 15 m.
Break the endive leaves and radicchio leaves apart and arrange on a large plate or in a salad bowl. Add the pomegranate mixture, add the mint leaves and the feta and top with some mint leaves.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

More pomegranate salads: pomegranate, tomatoes & garlic, warm lamb salad with pomegranate & mint, pomegranate & cucumber salad, pomegranate & quinoa salad, Friuli winter salad, pomegranate fruit salad