Curly Endive (aka Frisée)

Curly endive, also known as frisée, is a leafy vegetable in the chicory family.  (Other chicory types include bitter veggies like escarole, radicchio, and the white-leaved Belgian endive).  Curly endive is a crisp bitter green can be used as an addition in salads, or can be cooked as a side dish.  The inner pale leaves are somewhat more tender and mild than the bitter outer ones.

Curly endive is high in folate, fiber, and vitamins A and K.  If cooking, don’t leave in the pot for long, as it doesn’t handle prolonged cooking well.  As a soup addition, add endive right at the end.

A traditional dish featuring frisée is the classic Frisée aux Lardons, which is standard fare in the typical French cafe or bistro. It’s made by blanching bacon and then dicing and browning it, and then combining it with olive oil, mustard and lemon juice to form a vinaigrette.  The frisée is tossed with the vinaigrette, and then served topped with a poached egg and shaved Gruyère cheese, along with toasted croutons.

For storage, plan on using your frisée within 5 days.  It doesn’t generally last longer than that.