Chicory. I grew up with the smell of baked root chicory brewing with coffee that my father got from his Southern business colleagues. It’s a New Orleans favorite and he traveled there often. My mother and father just loved it and I remember that very distinctive smell. I think it made Mom and Dad feel special and exotic. No one in our St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves had ever heard of it in those days. So just recently, on this past Father’s day, my son made a warm wilted green salad of chicory to go with his Beef Wellington he made for my husband. It was a riff on a recipe from Tyler Florence. Tyler wants you to use Swiss chard, radicchio or escarole. I liked my son’s choice of chicory much better. I loved that salad so much that I have tinkered with it and made this chicory salad with walnuts and parmesan mine.
Chicory is a bitter green but with the dressing of warm honey and balsamic vinegar, it combats the sharpness and just makes the whole thing interesting and a bit addictive. Then adding the chopped toasted walnuts along with a bite here and there with a sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano, and well, I think you have a little bit of heaven in your mouth.
At our upstate farmer’s market last week, they had the biggest, most beautiful head of chicory. I was smitten and grabbed it up and starting excitedly telling the farmer about my recipe and what I was going to do with it. Suddenly, I noticed that everyone around was listening and taking notes. The farmer was so happy to hear my recipe as he said that most folks just don’t know what to do with chicory. Poor misunderstood thing, it needs some new positioning as a favorite wilted salad green, as it is mine. Try this and you’ll fall in LOVE too!
WILTED CHICORY SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND PARMESAN – serves 3 – 4
1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 medium or ½ large head of chicory, washed, spun dry and cut into 1½” pieces
1 shallot, very thinly sliced
½ tbs. grainy mustard
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese shavings, for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place walnuts in a baking dish and toast for 7 – 8 minutes. When you can just begin to smell them, remove from the oven and let cool on a cutting board. Coarsely chop and set aside.
Cook honey and balsamic together over medium-high heat in a small saute pan, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Do not let it boil. Pile chopped chicory and sliced shallots in a large salad bowl. Whisk the grainy mustard into the balsamic-honey dressing, then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste and pour over greens and shallots. Toss. Toss in toasted chopped walnuts, and garnish with shavings of Parmesan and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Now because these greens are so sturdy, the leftovers even held up for the next day. Of course they weren’t as good as when first made but they were still respectable. I do have one sister-in-law who loves a day old salad, all wilted and wet. I guess it’s an acquired taste?
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Our Fat America and a Festive Balsamic Chicory Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Parmesan and Toasted Walnuts
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Mother’s Day!
So fresh – lovely!
afracooking recently posted…Get Kids Blogging at the Digital Family Summit
It was so good!! Thanks!
Lovely memory and recipe 🙂
Tandy | Lavender and Lime recently posted…Sweet Myrtle
Thanks Tandy! 🙂
I remember chicory with coffee when I lived in the South. I’d prefer your salad – looks lovely.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef recently posted…Chocolate Brownie Cookie Sandwiches Filled with Peanut Butter Buttercream
LOL – I agree, I’m not a fan of it in coffee although I do like the smell of it brewing.
We drink chicory and coffee in France quite often. Your salad looks fantastic – I make a variation of this with roquefort blue cheese, but parmesan sounds really good too.
The Healthy Epicurean recently posted…Plum and polenta cake and hawk-eyed osteopathic surgeons
Hmmm – Roquefort sounds divine! I’ll definitely try that – thanks!!
Hope I can find a farmer with a big ole head of chicory, because this salad looks fantastico.
Actually Margaret you’ve eaten this at my house a little while back. Hope you found the chicory this past weekend!!
This looks like a delicious salad. I haven’t bought chicory in awhile, time to try it again and make your salad.
Jovina Coughlin recently posted…Italian Culture – The Art of the Painter
Hi Jovina! Please let me know how you like it!
A quick trick when measuring honey – spray or coat measuring cup with small amount of oil and you’ll get honey to slip easily out of cup and you get it perfectly measured rather than estimating how much was clinging to unoiled cup.
This is a great tip, Susan!!! Thank you!
I love this type of greens. I think I buy as “frisee” ?? LOVE your salad. I’m going to make it for sure.
Frisee is in the same family but here, it is more white or light green and a bit more delicate. I think this green chicory is a bit more bitter too. But the honey in this dish balances it all out.
Have to admit I’ve never liked chicory in coffee. Yet, I love the leaves of radicchio as it’s called here. As for chicory proper, as in what you call endive, they do have to be cooked for my palate.
Seriously! That’s all a bit confusing. Never realised there were so many differing names for one plant. How funny.
johnnysenough hepburn recently posted…Crumble or Potato Topped Fish and Bacon Pie?
Totally – I just looked it up and it is very confusing. I had only sauteed chicory before too but you must try this salad. I’m sure it will win you over.
I don’t cook with chicory nearly enough! Thanks for reminding me! 😀
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted…Guangzhou: The Home of Yum Cha
My pleasure!! Give this a go!
Chicory was a favorite of my Dad, Mary Frances, though it was too bitter for us kids. We even picked wild chicory, “cicoria”, each Spring. I’ve since grown to like it, however, and your salad is something I’ll be sure to like. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
ChgoJohn recently posted…Blueberry-Lemon Slice
John, I think you will LOVE this salad. Do try it and let me know.
I just love chicory, grew up eating bitter greens, it’s an Italian thing at least in my family, I also love it in coffee, Cafe Du Monde coffee is amazing. Your salad sounds perfect and I am going to seek out some chicory and make it. I am making a salad for a friends birthday party, I hope I can get some chicory because this is the salad I want to make. It’s inspired!
apuginthekitchen recently posted…“Divine” Chocolate Gingerbread, Roasted Pears And Chocolate Caramel Sauce
Thanks Suzanne. I think you will LOVE it!
love balsamic on anything! Looks great !
Francesca recently posted…Khoresht-E Bademjan – Persian Eggplant Stew
Thanks!! 🙂
I do enjoy bitter greens so this is right up my alley!
The Squishy Monster recently posted…Weekend Bits
Great! Well then you should definitely try this – you won’t be disappointed!
Ooh, the parmasan shavings look delicious!
yummychunklet recently posted…Vanishing Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thank you. You can also use a vegetable peeler if you don’t have a cheese planer.
This looks wonderful – simple too – and i adore chicory!
redrice57 recently posted…Minty lamb in a red wine sauce on Parmesan mash…
Great!! The you must try it — and please let me know how it comes out for you!