DATE: Wednesday, September 10, 1997         TAG: 9709090041

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BETTY DOUGLASS, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   47 lines

BITTER TINGE IS MARK OF BELGIAN ENDIVE

BELGIAN endive, also known as French endive or witloof chicory, is the blanched shoots of a chicory root.

Sallie Williams, in ``Vegetables on the Side'' (Macmillian, 1995), says, ``Virtually all the endive sold in America is grown in Belgium and imported. In Europe, endive is in every market and priced within almost any budget.

``In America we generally buy one head at a time, and purchasing enough for serving as a vegetable can be an expensive undertaking. It is truly worthwhile treating yourself from time to time, though, to the very special taste of this delicious `white gold from Belgium.' ''

Belgian endive is slightly bitter but that is part of its distinction. It can be eaten both raw and cooked.

Availability and selection: Endive is available in most local supermarkets year round. Look for crisp, compact heads that are creamy white with the leaf tops just barely green. The finest endive has pale yellow tops with no green at all. Avoid heads with leaves that have begun to splay outward from the tight core. Small heads are more delicately flavored, but large heads, up to 5 inches in length, are good used in salads or braised to serve as a side dish. Avoid heads that are limp, have brown spots or show mold, especially on the root end.

Storage: Endive will remain crisp and fresh for a week or two if stored, unwashed, in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator, wrapped in paper towels and sealed in a perforated vegetable bag.

Preparation: Williams says: ``Endive simply need to be wiped clean and the root ends trimmed. If braising, they can be halved lengthwise. If using in a salad, cut them across in slices of any thickness you prefer.

``The leaves are easy to separate. Whole leaves are very attractive as a garnish on salad plates, or they may be filled with spreads, dips and salsa for almost instant hors d'oeuvres. One of my favorite is cream cheese mixed with smoked salmon garnished with salmon eggs and fresh dill - quick and elegant.''

Because of the difference in taste and texture between cooked and raw, I have included one recipe for a salad using raw endive and one for a braised side dish.

ILLUSTRATION: Photo

KRT

Belgian endive, the blanched shoots of a chicory root, can be eaten

raw or cooked.

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