Little did I know that, when I was a grade schooler, I was already a fan of chicory. Specifically, frisée (curly endive). Let me explain.
My parents were big on hosting dinner parties. If it was fall, pheasant or duck, via my dad the hunter, was on the menu. Anytime of year called for fish, since my dad also was a diehard fisherman. Crappies, northern, trout or walleye—my mom knew how to elevate them from shore lunch fare to a lovely dinner course. I also recall fondue on the menu with beef, bread and veggies cubed and ready for dunking. And when my mom served Italian dishes, out came a very large, beautiful wooden salad bowl that was perfectly shaped to scoop and toss the accompanying salad without so much as a leaf or crouton escaping to the counter. (I inherited the salad bowl, and it makes everything in it taste so much better.)
In the early days, my mom’s go-to salads were Spinach With Warm Bacon Dressing; Romaine, Artichokes and Mandarin Oranges With Sunflower Seeds; and (my all-time favorite) Curly Endive With Mozzarella and Salami. It was almost like an antipasto salad with blanched green beans, seasoned croutons and sliced mozzarella and salami. For several hours, the ingredients (save the crusty croutons) marinate in Italian dressing before being tossed into the frisée, which provide a playful texture against the flavor-soaked additions. Should there be leftovers the next day, the frisée maintains a bit of spunk unlike the usual wilt and wither of standard lettuce.
Curious? Tonka Bay resident Spencer Olson, who you know from our Noteworthy Taste section, offers some ideas on how to use other chicories to bring extra flavor and texture to your table. The article also provides additional details about the chicory family, all ideal to welcome to your table or into your favorite handed-down salad bowl!
Until next month,
—Renée Stewart-Hester
