Grilled Endives With Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar

Endives, also known as Belgian endives, or Dutch witlof, are often treated as a salad green and added to salads yet this unusual leafy vegetable has much more to offer. In French cuisine, endive is braised or prepared as a gratin with ham, a specialty from northern France and Belgium.

For a light side dish that is a delicious partner to grilled fish, try grilling them, either on an outdoor grill or under your oven grill using the broiler. Oven broiler settings, unlike outdoor grills, are either on or off and don’t give you the option to adjust the heat. Under the oven broiler, the endives might be done faster than on an outdoor grill so adjust the cooking time as needed. Since the broiler can burn food quickly, make sure to stand by and closely supervise the cooking process. 

In this recipe endives are combined with a balsamic vinegar marinade. The sweetness of the balsamic vinegar works well to balance the endive's slightly bitter taste. 

Cooking the endives usually gets rid of the typical bitter taste but there are a few additional tricks to make endives less bitter. Cut out the core with a sharp knife and discard it. Additionally, cut the endives in half and soak them for a few minutes in warm water to draw out the bitter components. 

Also, to prevent the endives from turning bitter during storage, it needs to mimic their growing conditions. Endives grow in the dark. Because the chlorophyll in the leaves does not absorb any light, the leaves don’t turn green but get their typical blanched color instead. Store endives away from the light in the crisper drawer of your fridge, wrapped in damp dish towel. They are best used within a week. 

The endives taste best hot and straight from the grill. Since they only need a few minutes, your main dish should be almost ready when you start these so everything is ready at the same time.