You don’t have to be chti to love endive! Crunchy raw and tenderly cooked, endive has many benefits and is very suitable for digestion. Chicory, its other name, is a vegetable that deserves to be known and consumed. And here’s some evidence …
Endive is not found naturally in nature, it is the human hand that cultivates a chicory bud. Its season starts in early fall and continues all winter until March.
With 3% fiber, it is the ideal vegetable for promote good digestion. It regulates intestinal transit, prevents constipation and reveals amazing qualities to wake up lazy intestines.
The king vegetable of diets
Endive is involved in the functioning of the gallbladder and is also good for the liver. Indeed, it stimulates the production of gastric juices: it is one of the most famous benefits of endive.
With 95% water, raw endive has an energy value of 17 kcal / 100 g and contains relatively few energetic substances. There is very little protein and fat in it, while carbohydrates do not exceed 4g per 100g.
The health benefits of endive are multiple: it is a source of vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin C and even provitamin A (a little). It obviously contains many major mineral salts (potassium, magnesium, etc.) and essential trace elements (zinc, selenium, etc.).
The other benefits of endive
The benefits of endive are legion; we have therefore noted its most notable virtues:
- It would reduce the risk of cardiac disease.
- It helps people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar and insulin levels.
- It is useful for lowering bad cholesterol by lowering the level of low density lipoproteins.
- She allows to retain calcium in bone mass, as it is an important source of vitamin K.
- It is beneficial for the eyesight thanks to its richness in beta-carotene.
- It is good for the brain and has neurological benefits: the potassium it contains has been associated with increased blood flow to the brain and an increase in the concentration and activity of neurons.
How to choose and store endives?
Choosing a fresh and quality chicory is a matter of recognition. We open our eyes wide and we trust its pretty pale colors. The endives must be firm, the leaves tight, white and
slightly edged with yellow.
Endive can be stored for up to 6 days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, making sure to wrap them in absorbent paper. It does not keep near the light otherwise it may turn green and become more bitter.
The benefits of endive in cooking
As an aperitif, garnish the raw endive leaves with tuna and cottage cheese or heavy cream. We can add a few berries. You can also try it with avocados.
An endive salad: Endive mixed with pieces of apples, raisins and some nuts, will delight lovers of sweet and savory.
As a gratin, you will love the famous northern endive gratin
Braised, it goes very well with goat cheese or Roquefort and a touch of honey to soften
Recipe for endives in olive oil
Ingredients :
- Endive
- Olive oil 2 tbsp
- 1/4 liter water
- 1/2 cube beef broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- Provence herbs
Preperation :
In a sauté pan, pour olive oil and heat over medium heat. The endives are cut off and any damaged or dirty leaves are removed.
They are cut in half lengthwise and placed in the pan on the flat side. They are browned over medium heat, turning them every 5 minutes.
We are careful that they do not burn. After 15 minutes, add half the amount of water. We don’t salt a lot, because the beef broth is already enough, we pepper and sprinkle the herbs of Provence.
Finally, we turn the endives regularly. After 15 minutes, add the rest of the water and the bouillon cube. Simmer, taking care that the endives do not stick.
In short, endive is the king of digestion. It is opportune to make it your ally to take care of the digestive system and promote transit.
Raw endive or cooked endive, which is your preference? Tell us in the comments.
