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Endive Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to endive
About endive
Endive is a chicory plant, a member of the dandelion family, and makes a nutritional and flavorful substitute for the more familiar leafy greens like Romaine, arugula, or spinach. Endive is a somewhat bitter leafy green vegetable. Many people aren't familiar with endives and aren't sure how to buy them or use them. Endives can add variety and punch to your salads and meals, along with providing several other nutritional benefits.
Endive is one of the most challenging vegetables to grow. It has a two-stage growing process, and the first stage takes around 150 days to grow from seed to a leafy green chicory plant. The leaves are trimmed, and the roots are dug up and placed in a cold storage facility, where the plants become dormant. When ready for production, they are placed in dark, cool, humid rooms for a 28-day growth period. This cold storage technique allows year-round endive production.
Endive is high in nutrients and low in calories, and its distinctive flavor makes it a nutritious substitute for other greens in salads. The leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals and high in fiber, supplying almost a gram of fiber per 1/2-cup serving. Brimming with antioxidants and low in sugar, sodium, and fat, endive promotes weight loss and aids digestion. Additional health benefits include increased bone strength and enhanced liver function.
How to pick out endive
When selecting endive in the grocery store, choose bright green, crisp endive heads. Avoid endives with limp or wilted leaves, brown spots, or other discoloration. Due to its cold storage growing cycle, fresh endive is available year-round, and its peak season is late fall to early spring.
Belgian endives should have tips that are a light yellow-green color instead of bright or dark green, as green tips on Belgian endive will make the taste more bitter. Also, look for short, fat heads instead of long thin ones.
Types of endive
The three most popular types of endive are curly endive, Belgian endive, and escarole. Each has a distinctive taste, texture, and appearance.
- Curly Endive: Also known as frisee or chicory, curly endive has curled and frilly leaves. It has a bitter yet pleasant taste and adds a delightful crunch to a salad. It can complement other robust salad ingredients really well, such as bacon, salmon, anchovies, egg, chickpeas, peach slices, or other fruits. Endive melds well with strong cheeses, such as brie, feta, gorgonzola, or blue cheese. The tough leaves hold up well for warmed dressings.
- Belgian Endive: Belgian endive has pale green or yellow leaves that are somewhat bitter. Their leaves are larger and shape into an oval head, similar to Romaine lettuce in shape. Belgian endive can also have red leaves, and this red endive is known as radicchio. The large Belgian endive leaves can be used in salads or make wonderful bases for appetizers.
- Escarole: This is the least bitter of the three types of endive and looks similar to curly endive, but its leaves are wider and less lacy. The tougher outer leaves are more bitter, and they go well in soups and stews. The inner lives are less bitter, making them ideal for adding to sandwiches or mixed green salads. Escarole wilts quickly and sautes well with garlic, so it's popular added to recipes as well as on salads.
When you're ready-to-use endive for your salads and other recipes, it's quick and easy to order through Instacart. Our Instacart shoppers will gather your groceries for you, and with same-day delivery, you'll receive your order today!
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FAQs about endive
Endive can be enjoyed either raw or cooked.
Endive is popular in salads since its crisp, slightly bitter flavor adds a nice contrasting flavor. Substitute endive for other leafy greens such as spinach or arugula in salads adds zest and nutritional value. Simply slice it into strips and combine it with any of your favorite salad ingredients.
In addition to salads, endive is also frequently used in appetizers and entrees. It can also be roasted, grilled, or braised, giving a sweet, nutty flavor to the leaves. The large Belgian endive leaves can be stuffed with dip or creamy cheese and substituted for crackers or used in other appetizers. You can also add endive to soups, stews, and stir-fry for additional flavor.
Store endive in a cold, moist place. Wrap the leaves or the endive head in a paper towel, place it in a perforated plastic bag, and store it in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Endive will last for up to two weeks when properly stored. When using endive, rinse it in cold water immediately before use. Revive wilted leaves with a soak in a cold water bath.