Due to its bittersweet aroma, chicory goes well raw in salads, as well as steamed, fried or gratinated. Although the plant does not thrive on soil and looks clean at first glance, you should wash chicory carefully to remove bacteria and any pesticides that may have adhered.

Chicory should be washed thoroughly before consumption

Chicory a typical winter vegetable

Chicory shoots are in season from October to March. Since chicory is mainly grown in dark, air-conditioned rooms, the vegetable is available in well-stocked supermarkets all year round.

You can recognize good quality by the firm, bright heads. The tips of the leaves should at most be colored light yellow. If its tone is greenish, many bitter substances have already formed and the chicory is inedible.

Method 1: Wash chicory leaves individually

This is how you clean chicory that is to be processed into a salad, for example:

  1. First break off the outer leaves. These are not used.
  2. Pluck off all the other leaves one by one so that only the stalk remains.
  3. Fill the sink with water and thoroughly clean the chicory leaves in it.
  4. Only a little water sticks to the smooth surface. This is blotted with a piece of kitchen paper or a towel.

Method 2: Wash rungs

If you want to use the sprouts whole, snap off the unsightly outer leaves and carefully rinse the chicory under running water.

Clean chicory

The tender vegetables are also very uncomplicated to prepare and are therefore perfect when you need to be quick in the kitchen:

  • First cut three to four centimeters off the bottom part.
  • If the chicory is to be cooked whole, cut it in half after washing. Then cut out the stalk in a wedge shape. It is quite hard and also contains many bitter substances.
  • If the chicory is to be used in a salad, cut into fine strips. As a result, the taste is less intense and underlines the aroma of the other ingredients in a pleasant way.

tips

Store chicory at home in a dark and cool place. Wrap the vegetables in a slightly damp kitchen towel and place them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Salad chicory can be kept here for three to four days without any loss of quality.

Category:

Vegetable garden