Braised Endive with Cherry-Orange Glaze over White Bean Puree

Remember that Green Soup I made? I was trying to use up leftover endive. Of course, while testing that recipe, I ended up with more extra endive and then had to come up with a second recipe to use it up.

I’d occasionally been playing with a recipe that involved roasting bitter greens to put over a white bean puree. But roasting just made them more bitter. Since I had the endive on hand, I thought I’d try braising instead. Much better!

Braised Endive

• 1 head curly endive/frisée (3/4-1 pound), separated into fourths
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (for garnish)
• 1 ounce gluten-free blue cheese, crumbled (for garnish)

Cherry-Orange Glaze

• olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup cherry preserves
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper

White Bean Puree

• 2/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Arrange the endive in a large pan with a lid. Add the 1/2 cup vegetable broth, add a few grinds of black pepper, cover with the lid, and set over medium-high heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 20 minutes.
2. Place a small pot over medium heat. Lightly coat the pot with oil, then add the shallot. Cook for 3 minutes until softened.  Add the orange juice, cherry preserves, vinegar, and a few grinds of black pepper. Let simmer until the endive is finished.
3. Heat the 2/3 cup vegetable broth until it is boiling on the stovetop or in the microwave. Place the cannellini beans, extra virgin olive oil, and heated vegetable broth in a food processor.  Pulse until a smooth puree forms.
4. To serve, divide the bean puree between four wide, shallow bowls. In each bowl, arrange one piece of endive on top. Top with one-fourth of the cherry-orange glaze, one-fourth of the chopped walnuts, and one-fourth of the blue cheese crumbles.

Serves 4

I found that you can actually pull the endive in half, then pull each of those in half. It seems you get less random loose leaves that way. Like most lettuces, the base of the endive is usually oxidized and orangey-red. You can trim it, but be careful to slice the least amount possible, because you need that base to hold all the leaves together. I found it was easier to divide the endive first, then trim the ends.

This recipe is being shared in Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, and Gluten Free Fridays.