• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Coquinaria

Culinaire geschiedenis, onderzoek en praktijk

  • Welcome
    • Introduction
    • Contact
    • Coquinaria on Instagram
    • Updates – Most recent
    • RSS Feed
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Historical recipes – Sources
    • Recipes – Origin
    • Recipes – Menu
    • Dutch recipes
    • Ingredients
  • Subjects
    • Dutch recipes
    • Stock, the kitchen spirit
    • Dough – The basics
    • Italian Pasta
    • Asian noodles
    • Knives, use and care
    • Making cheese
    • Eggs are everywhere!
    • Dutch Santa Claus
    • Eggs for Easter
    • The Coquinaria Cats
  • Editions of cookery books
    • Edelike spijse
    • Convolute KANTL Gent 15
      • KANTL Gent 15 vol.1
      • KANTL Gent 15 vol.2
  • Recipes for Lent
  • Dutch

Braised Belgian Endives

Straight to the recipe

The cover of the Dutch edition of The art of cuisine by Maurice JoyantBelgian endives are not widely appreciated. It does not look very attractive once it is cooked, with its grey and slimy exterior. That is why generally speaking, today this vegetable is eaten raw as salad, or only slightly cooked.

Imagine my horrified surprise when I read the recipe for Belgian endives of Maurice Joyant in his cookbook La cuisine de Monsieur Momo, célibataire from 1930, in which the vegetable is being cooked for no less than two hours. TWO HOURS!!! But still we picked this recipe as one of two vegetables for our Christmas dinner in 2018 that consisted entirely of recipes from this cookbook. We followed the recipe exactly, and the result was the most delicious Belgian endives I have ever tasted. So never assume beforehand that a recipe is bad when it does not conform to modern taste or practise, but first prepare the dish as the author described it. By the way, the Belgian endives are not actually cooked, but stewed very slowly in its own juices with the addition of butter.

More about Maurice Joyant and his cookbook can be read on the page with the recipe for cheese biscuits.

Witloof and endives

Belgian endives with roots. Source: Wikimedia

In French the recipe is called ‘Endives au jus’. The Dutch language has separate names for green endives and Belgian endives, which we call witlof or witloof. Indeed, the leafy green endives and compact white Belgian endives both belong to the same plant family: Chicory, but they are different varieties. Endives (Cichorium endivia, andijvie in Dutch) is an annual plant, Belgian endives is known as Cichorium intybus var. foliosum. Another variety of wild cichory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum) has been used since Napoleonic times to make a coffee surrogate wich is in Dutch called peekoffie (pronounced as ‘pay coffee’). This surrogate, made from the roots of the plant, does not contain caffeine.

Belgian endives are a ‘forced vegetable’, it does not grow spontaneously into compact white batons or heads. The roots are harvested from the land and the leafy green heads are cut off by a kind of plant guillotine. The roots are placed very close together, packed like sardines, to keep the heads compact. After three weeks in the dark to keep them white, the witlof is harvested.

The method of forcing endives is fairly recent.  In 1751, François Alexandre Aubert de La Chesnaye-Desbois describes in his Dictionnaire universel (see bibliography) how to force wild chicory by cutting off the leaves and then planting the roots packed close together in the dark. In the nineteenth century this method is applied to ‘tame’ endives, especially in the region of Brussels. That is why witlof is also known as ‘Brussels lof’ in Dutch.

The original recipe

I have mentioned three editions of the cookbook of Joyant in the bibliography. The original author, Maurice Joyant, was prominently mentioned in the first edition, later editions show the growing importance of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the descriptions of the cookbook. Joyant had added 24 drawings of de painter to his cookbook.  I have used the translation of the English edition. In the English translation of the recipe the name ‘Madame Peg de Vitry-le-François, Marne’ has disappeared. In the original cookbook Joyant provides the names of several people, but some of these are fictional, according to Pascal Orly (author of the introduction to the French edition of 2011).

Endives au jus
Recette de Madame Peg de Vitry-le-François, Marne
Ayez de belles endives lavées, épluchées et sechées.
Mettez dans une cocotte un bon morceau de beurre et faites-le chauffer. Ajoutez les endives et faites revenir jusqu’Ă  ce qu’elles soient dorĂ©es. Salez et poivrez. Couvrez la cocotte, laissez mijoter une heure et demie au moins sans ajouter d’eau.
Dans le dernier quart d’heure, si vous avez trop de jus, laissez rĂ©duire Ă  dĂ©couvert.
Cette recette s’applique Ă  des navets ou des topinambours.
BELGIAN ENDIVE IN ITS JUICE ENDIVES AU JUS
Take some nice Belgian endive which has been washed, pared, and dried. Put a good lump of butter into a deep cooking pot and let it heat. Add the endive and let them cook just until they are golden brown. Salt and pepper; cover the pot and let it simmer for at least an hour and a half without adding water.
In the last quarter of an hour, if you have too much liquid, let it reduce with the lid off.
This recipe can be used for turnips and Jerusalem archichokes.

Modern adaptation of the recipe

Depending on the menu in which they are served and their size, one or two heads of Belgian endives for each person are sufficient. Prepare them in a small cast-iron pan in which the endives fit snugly. And remember to use ‘real butter’, not margarine!
Side dish for 4 persons; Preparation in advance 5 minutes; Preparation 2 hours.

Gekonfijte witlof

4 heads Belgian endives
60 gr butter
(pepper and salt to taste)

Preparation in advance

Rinse the heads and cut of a small slice of the root point. If the Belgian endive is very bitter, hollow out the core, as most of the bitterness is located there. Pat the heads dry with a kitchen towel.

Preparation

Melt the butter in the pan and place the witlof in it. Fry until brown at all sides, cover and let it simmer on a very low fire.   Smelt de boter in de pan en leg de witlof erin. Braad deze op middelhoog vuur even aan alle kanten aan. Doe dan de deksel op de pan en zet de pan op het sudderpitje op de laagste stand. Gebruik eventueel nog een vlamverdeler. Keer de witlof ieder half uur even om. Na anderhalf uur bekijk je hoeveel vocht er in de pan zit. Als dat veel is, zet je het vuur iets hoger en je stooft de witlof zonder deksel tot het vocht verdampt is. Het recept schrijft peper en zout voor. Ik heb dat weggelaten om te kijken hoe dat beviel. Prima. Maar doe het vooral erbij als je dat wil.

To serve

The Belgian endives will have acquired a golden hue, and a very rich taste. That is why I have even left out pepper and salt when I prepared them.

Bibliography

The editions below were used by me. Links refer to available editions.

  • La Chesnaye, Dictionnaire universel d’agriculture et de jardinage: de fauconnerie, chasse, pĂŞche, cuisine et manĂ©ge. David le Jeune, Parijs, 1751. (Online available: vol. 1, vol. 2)
  • Maurice Joyant, La cuisine de monsieur Momo, cĂ©libataire. Pellet, 1930
  • Maurice Joyant & Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, La cuisine de monsieur Momo. Comprenant des recettes d’Antoine Westermann, ainsi qu’une prĂ©face de Pascal Ory. Menu Fretin, 2011
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Joyant, The art of cuisine. Henry Holt & Co, 1995.

The best recipe for Belgian endives
This early 20th-century recipe uses only two ingredients, but it is the tastiest way to prepare Belgian endives.
© Author Christianne Muusers

 

Filed Under: 19th century, 20th century, France, Side dish, Meat nor fish (vegetarian) Tagged With: belgian endives Gepubliceerd op 14 December 2019Laatste wijziging 15 December 2019

Previous Post: « Basic recipe – Marzipan
Next Post: If you’re feeling under the weather »

Primary Sidebar

The latest historical recipe

The latest historical recipe

Cherry custard

The latest modern recipe

The latest modern recipe

Nostalgic summer salad

Het excellente kookboek

ISBN 9789056156497, € 29,95

If you appreciate Coquinaria …

Coquinaria is not a commercial website, all information and recipes are free. If you appreciate this, it would be great if you show this by making a small donation!

Categorieën

  • Technique (50)
  • PERIOD (213)
    • Prehistory (1)
    • Roman (12)
    • Middle Ages (56)
    • 16th century (30)
    • 17th century (26)
    • 18th century (24)
    • 19th century (33)
    • 20th century (14)
    • Traditional (32)
    • Modern (22)
  • ORIGIN (196)
    • Belgium (9)
    • Canada (1)
    • Arabian (7)
    • China (6)
    • England (27)
    • France (36)
    • Germany (10)
    • Indonesia (1)
    • Italy (29)
    • Japan (4)
    • Mauritius (2)
    • Netherlands (72)
    • Russia (5)
    • Spain (2)
    • Sweden (1)
    • United States (4)
  • MENU (212)
    • Lucheon dish (21)
    • Breakfast or brunch (1)
    • Snack (21)
    • Savoury pastry (14)
    • Pasta (11)
    • First course (48)
    • Soup (35)
    • Main dish (39)
    • Side dish (45)
    • Casserole (7)
    • Dessert (24)
    • Sweet pastry (28)
    • Beverage (10)
    • Condiment (10)
  • DIET (155)
    • Meat nor fish (vegetarian) (63)
    • With fish (pescetarian) (34)
    • With meat (70)
  • Uncategorized (1)

Onderwerpen

almond amandelen anchovy anise apple apricot asparagus aubergine barbecue barley basil bayleaf beef beer beet greens beets belgian endives bell pepper blackberries bread broad beans broccoli buckwheat bulb butter buttermilk cabbage capers carrot casserole celeriac celery cheese chestnut chicken chilli pepper chives chopped meat christmas cilantro cinnamon cloves cocoa cod coffee coriander cranberry crayfish cream cucumber cumin currants curry date deep-frying dill dough easter egg eggplant endives fennel fish flour fruit game garden peas garlic gedroogde pruim ginger goose gooseberry grape groats heat wave herring honey horseradish ice cream kale kastanje knoflook lamb meat lamsvlees lard leek lemon lemongrass lent lettuce lime lobster lovage mackerel mallard marrow mayonnaise medlar meloen milk mint mushrooms mussels mustard onion orange orange flower water parsley parsnip partridge pasta peacock pear peas pike pineapple pistacchio plums pomegranate pork potato prune pudding purslane quail quince rabbit raisin raisins red cabbage red wine rhubarb rice rose water rozijnen rue rutabaga rye saffron sage salad salmon salsify salt sardine sauce sauerkraut sausage scallions seaweed sherry shrimp sinterklaas smoked pork smoked sausage smoking sorrel sourdough spinach stalk celery strawberries sugar sweetbread sylvester tamarind tarragon tea thyme tomato tuna vanilla veal vegetables verjuice vinegar walnut wheat white wine wijnruit wine winter dishes witte wijn yoghurt

RSS RSS feed

  • Pompoenbrood, een recept uit de 17de eeuw 2 October 2021
  • Koffie zoals in Eritrea 1 October 2021
  • Griet met rode bessen 4 September 2021
  • Een makkelijk recept voor hypocras 7 July 2021
  • Gierstpudding uit Senegal 27 June 2021

© Copyright 2002–2023 Christianne Muusers - Coquinaria