Winter Salads

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

For Valentine’s Day, I received a beautiful bouquet of…endive! The California Endive folks cleverly take advantage of the endive’s chicory root base to serve as the “stem” for the endive “flower,” which is a ringer for a French tulip. Gathered together in a bunch, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a red bow, it’s the prefect, edible valentine bouquet.

Endive is one of my favorite vegetables, so in no time, I was slicing some up for a salad. My favorite combination is to team endive with apples or pears, toasted walnuts and blue cheese, and toss with a slightly sweet dressing. The combination of the crisp, clean and slightly bitter endive, contrasted with the sweetness of winter fruits, the nutty crunch of walnuts and the creamy bite of blue cheese is a classic.

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A Visit to an Endive Farm

By Sandy Hu

I love endive – braised, grilled, in salads or as an edible scoop for dips. I’ll eat this crunchy, nutty, slightly bitter vegetable any way it’s served.

So you can imagine my delight when I was invited last Wednesday to Rio Vista, California, for an endive farm tour at California Vegetable Specialties (CVS), the largest producer of endive in the U.S.

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