Several weeks ago I attended the International Food Bloggers Convention in Sacramento, California, and had the opportunity to take a field trip to an endive farm (do say “on-deeve”, please, so we know you are not speaking about “end-ive”, the curly salad green.) You may have used endive leaves with a dip or spread as an appetizer, but do you know where or how endive is grown?

Producing endive involves a 2-step growing process. This vegetable, a member the chicory family (think Louisiana chicory coffee!), starts as a seed planted in the spring. During the summer the seeds produce a leafy foliage which in the fall is mowed in order to access the long roots from which the endive will grow. The roots are then harvested and removed, saving only the top.cutting endive roots

The tops are placed in trays to grow in a dark and moist storage facility where drip irrigation provides nutrients for the endive root. endive stacks

In the United States, the only producer of endive is California Endive Farms (http://www.endive.com/), which provide most of the red or white endive sold in the western United States. Belgium and France are other producers and exporters of endive and you may also know this tasty vegetable as Belgian endive.  endive

In keeping with my “ingredient-focused” pie making, I wondered what I could do with the gift of three heads of endive from California Endive Farms. Endive is bitter and crunchy and no amount of sugar would turn it into a sweet pie, so a savory one seemed to be a good choice. I did some searching and came up with a recipe that combines caramelized endive to use as the featured ingredient in a quiche. Caramelizing the endive showcases its deep flavor and pairs well with the cheeses in the quiche. I served the quiche with a sweet chardonnay, from the Sacramento Valley, of course.

People to meet: Rich Collins, the personable former dishwasher and now retired endive “farmer,” started rich collins endiveraising endive 1983. His enthusiasm was contagious as he conducted an informative tour for our group.

Places to visit: Endive Farms, 15 Poppy House Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571, about 1 hour from Sacramento California.

Pie to make: Caramelized endive quiche    endive quiche

 

 

 

Caramelized Endive Quiche, California Endive Farms
 
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Recipe type: quiche
Cuisine: California
Serves: 6 to 8 slices
Ingredients
  • Crust for a single crust pie (http://www.artofthepie.com)
  • Filling
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 Belgian endive, root end trimmed
  • 1 medium shallot
  • 3 oz. prosciutto
  • 1 cup milk, cream or mixture of each
  • 4 eggs
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 and ½ cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of 4 cheeses: parmesan, asiago, fontina, provolone
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a medium sized skillet, sauté the shallot in butter/olive oil for 1-2 minutes.
  3. Slice the endive lengthwise and place sliced side down in the skillet and sauté until caramelized, about 3-5 minutes
  4. Add diced prosciutto and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Remove endive and cut in bite-sized pieces and return to skillet. Pour endive mixture on the bottom of the pie crust
  6. Mix eggs and milk, salt and pepper; pour on top of endive mixture, and using a knife make sure the egg mixture reaches the bottom of the crust.
  7. Top pie with 1 cup of cheese
  8. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the cheese and continue baking for 30-40 minutes until the filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes.

The Sacramento River Valley: Caramelized Endive Quiche, California Endive Farms