In many kitchens, chicory leads an unloved shadowy existence, as some consumers do not like the bitter aroma of this vegetable. That's a pity, because new breeds have significantly less bitter substances and impress with their fine aroma, which goes wonderfully with steamed or gratinated dishes.

Chicory can be processed in many ways

Belgian chicory pizza with aromatic abbey cheese

Chicory is extremely popular in Belgium. As our pizza proves, in this country the vegetables are processed into extremely creative dishes.

Ingredients for 3 pizzas or a large tray

dough

  • 300 grams of flour
  • 15 grams of fresh yeast
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • about 200 milliliters of water

topping

  • 4 chicory
  • 250 g abbey cheese
  • 70 grams of bresaola
  • 250ml milk
  • 30 grams of butter
  • 30 grams of flour
  • pepper, salt and thyme

Preparation:

  1. Dissolve yeast in 50 ml lukewarm water.
  2. Knead in a bowl with the flour, the oil and the remaining water to form an elastic dough. Gradually add the water so that the dough does not become too runny.
  3. Let rise in a warm place for about 50 to 60 minutes.
  4. When the volume has doubled, preheat the oven to 180 degrees top and bottom heat.
  5. Finely dice 50 grams of cheese and grate the rest.
  6. Melt half of the butter in a saucepan and sweat in the flour.
  7. Add the milk and bring to the boil while stirring. Continue to simmer while stirring until you have a creamy béchamel sauce.
  8. Add the grated cheese, let it melt and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
  9. Wash, trim and finely chop the chicory.
  10. Heat the remaining butter in a pan and sweat the chicory in it for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  11. Roll out the pizza dough to the size of a tray or shape into three pizza bases.
  12. Spread the béchamel sauce on top. Distribute the pieces of chicory, the beef ham and the cheese cubes on the pizza.
  13. Bake for about 20 minutes and serve sprinkled with thyme.

Salad with chicory, oranges, dates and walnuts

The sweetness of the dates and the acidity of the oranges harmonize wonderfully with the bittersweet aroma of chicory. This light salad goes great with fried meat.

Ingredients for 2 people

  • 2 large chicory
  • 2 oranges
  • 1 handful of walnut kernels
  • 10 dates
  • 3 tbsp walnut oil
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp mustard
  • 1 egg yolk
  • pepper
  • salt
  • 1 pinch of sugar

preparation

  1. Wash and trim the chicory and cut into fine strips.
  2. Fillet and dice the oranges.
  3. Pit and chop dates.
  4. Also chop the walnuts.
  5. Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender and mix with the blender until you get a creamy salad dressing.
  6. Mix the chicory, oranges, walnuts and dates in a bowl, drizzle over the sauce.

tips

So that the chicory does not discolour and become bitter as a result, you should make sure that it does not have any brown spots when you buy it. When you get home, wrap it in a damp kitchen towel and store it in the crisper of the fridge, where it will stay fresh for up to a week.

Category:

Vegetable garden