belgian endive and stone fruits

finger salads

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Belgian Endive, also known as chicory, has a nice crunch with a pleasant, slight bitterness that provides a good counterpoint to whatever you put with it.

Sliced, they’re a nice addition to any mixed green salad. But, as they’re shaped like boats, these are perfect for finger salads. You can fill them with anything you like—they’re a great choice for BBQs and buffets, and any time you want to be able to walk about munching on something that’s both tasty and healthful. 

Tonight, I’m serving them alongside gefilte fish as a first course for Shabbat dinner. This will ensure that those who don’t eat fish will still have an appetizer. If I were serving these with a dairy meal, I might add some crumbles of cheese. Feta, soft goat cheese, or any blue cheese would work best.

Right now, stone fruits are in season. The markets are full of ripe peaches, nectarines, and all sorts of plums. The soft juiciness of these fruits will pair beautifully with the endive. 

I usually prefer red bell peppers over green, but here, the flavor of the green ones strikes a contrasting note to the fruits for a bright flavor explosion.  Scallions and basil round out the flavor profile and toasted kasha adds a delightful, earthy crunch.

If you’re not familiar with kasha…Kasha, also known as buckwheat, is a popular dish in Eastern Europe. Kasha is a pseudocereal—it behaves like a grain and is used like a grain, but is actually not a grain at all—it’s related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. So, it’s naturally gluten-free.

One of my favorite side dishes is Kasha Varnishkes, an Ashkenazi Jewish staple. It consists of cooked kasha tossed with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and bowtie pasta in a brown onion gravy. If you can’t find kasha in your local market, you can find it here.

A nectarine vinaigrette drizzled over the stuffed leaves turns them into something fabulous. 

With only a few ingredients, these are so simple and yet so satisfying. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

belgian endive and stone fruits finger salads

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 3 heads Belgian endive, any color

• 2—3 ripe but firm stone fruits such as nectarines, plumbs of all sorts, peaches, etc.

• 1 small green bell pepper

• 1 small cucumber

• 2 scallions, the green parts only

• basil

• 1/4 cup kasha (Buckwheat Groats) toasted in 1 tablespoon olive oil (see below)

• Optional: crumbles of feta, goat, or blue cheese

For the Dressing:

• 1 nectarine  

• 1/2 cup fruity olive oil

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard

• 2 scallions, the white parts only

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade*

• 1—2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

For the Salad:

• Cut the root end (bottoms) off the heads of Belgian endive and separate the leaves. Set the large leaves aside for stuffing, and when you get to the small, inner leaves, cut them into small dice and put them into a bowl.

• Cut the fruits in half, remove the pits, and dice them. You could potentially remove the skins, but I don’t mind them here. Add the fruits to the bowl with the diced endive. 

• Slice the scallions thinly. Add the green parts to the bowl and reserve the white, bulbous ends for the dressing. 

• Dice the green pepper and the cucumber finely—you want the pieces to be about the same size—and add them to the bowl.  

• *Chiffonade the basil—remove the leaves from their stems. make stacks of leaves, face down, with the larger leaves on the bottom of the stacks. Then, roll the stacks tightly and slice them thinly. You will have beautiful basil ribbons (chiffonade) for your salad. Add them to the bowl, then gently toss all the salad ingredients together. If you’re using cheese, add it now.

• You can toss the salad with a bit of the dressing or you can drizzle some over the endive boats when they’re put together. Either way, you can serve additional dressing on the side.

• Fill the endive leaves with the fruit mixture. Sprinkle them with the toasted kasha. Arrange the boats nicely on a serving platter or on individual plates.

  How to toast kasha: Heat one tablespoon of good olive oil in a skillet. Add the kasha and cook over medium heat for a minute or two, tossing it constantly. Remove the toasted kasha from the pan and set it aside to cool.

  For the Dressing:

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Whoosh whoosh whoosh until puréed. Use as is, or for a thinner dressing, pass it through a mesh strainer to remove the solids.