When I latch on to an ingredient that I like, I tend to find tons of different ways to use it. This summer, one of those ingredients was endive. I love the somewhat bitter crunch it has, and how the size and shape is so perfect for entertaining too! So, I put it in salads, I topped it with citrus, I filled it crab, and I served it up to friends.
But now that we’re transitioning everything else to fall, I felt like I wanted to come up with a dish that included my beloved endives, but also felt a little more hearty…
So I came up with this!
Recipe: Seared Endives with Lentils // serves two
- 3 endives, sliced in half
- Pre-made lentils (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s where they’re already seasoned and ready to go! You can make your own as you like them for this dish.)
- 3 – 4 Radishes, thinly sliced
- Chevre to top
This is seriously the easiest dish. The lentils – if you choose to make them from scratch – are probably the hardest part. As much as I love cooking, anytime I can get my beans all ready to go, I’m in.
To start, slice the endive in half, and then heat up a non-stick pan on high. Take the endive and place them on the pan, flat side down, to briefly sear them until they are warm – less than 30 seconds usually.
Lower the heat to medium, and heat up the lentils to warm. The trick to this salad is that it should still feel fresh, so you’re really just getting things to about room temperature.
Lay out the endives, flat side up, then top with the lentils, followed by the radish and chevre to your taste!
Lentils are surprisingly filling, so I’ve certainly eaten this as a whole meal before, but it’s definitely on the lighter side for some, so consider it as a compliment to other dishes, or on its own! If you wanted to make a version of this that was easy to pass around, you could char the endive, and then use the outer leafs to make a shell and fill it with the lentil mix.
Fair warning: lentils also fall under the category of ingredients I’m obsessed with, so you can fully expect to see more of those around here this fall and winter too!
credits :: photography by meghan klein // styling by cassandra lavalle
