I love endive. I think it’s so elegant. I remember when we traveled to Egypt in the early eighties around Christmas time, we didn’t dare eat any fruits or vegetables for fear of getting really sick due to their fertilization practices. Now I am a huge fan of vegetables and fruit. I typically eat a ton of each everyday, and after being there for about four days, I was not a happy camper. But on Christmas Eve, we were at a party and they had endive on the buffet table. My husband leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Mary, you can eat this. It’s from Belgium.” And I was in heaven!! This recipe of Chimichurri-ed Wilted Endives with Walnuts, using the Samba Flavor Chimichurri pack from our latest MSI spring box, covers all the bases – different, delicious, elegant and easy. Sautéing the endive mellows the bitterness. I love it being crisp and warm all at the same time. Making the Chimichurri with lemon juice and walnut oil makes it extra special, plus the addition of the chopped walnuts to finish it off, adds texture, flavor and contrast. Make this as a side dish and be prepared for rave reviews.

The SambaFlavor Chimichurri folks are very proud of their spice combination and they should be, as it’s all natural, gluten free and has no MSG. They wanted to create an easy way to replicate dishes from home, (South America) with this pre-made spice and herb combination. With a touch of red chili flakes, this little mix, made just the way they suggest, has a myriad of uses. Dress up some roasted fish, grilled meats, chicken, grilled eggplant or zucchini. I even used it on some boiled Yukon Gold potatoes for a quick warm potato salad and it was delish. Heck it’s probably even good on over-easy eggs. Experiment and have fun! There won’t be a lot that you can’t put it on to perk up any dish and make it more special.

CHIMMICHURRI-ED WILTED ENDIVES WITH WALNUTS – serves 3 – 6

3 good-size heads of Belgian endive, wiped clean with a wet paper towel, ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbs. Olive oil

For the Chimichurri:
3 Tbs. Samba Flavor Chimichurri spice mix
3 Tbs. hot tap water
3 Tbs. lemon juice
6 Tbs. walnut oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
Extra chopped walnuts for garnish

Make the Chimichurri: Combine the Samba Flavor Chimichurri spice mix with the hot tap water and lemon juice and let it soak for 5 minutes. Whisk in the walnut oil.

Chop the walnuts.

Saute the endives: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place endive halves in the skillet, cut side down. They should not be touching one another. Season with kosher salt and pepper and cover the pan loosely. Cook until golden brown on the cut side, about 5 minutes. Flip over and cook on other side, loosely covered, until crisp tender, about another 4 – 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer the endives to a platter, cut side up. Spoon about a tablespoon of Chimichurri on each half. (you will not use all of it – keep remainder in the fridge and use on roasted fish, eggplant, eggs, anything!!) Top with chopped walnuts and drizzle a tiny bit of extra walnut oil on top. Serve with LOVE and enjoy!

The SambaFlavor Chimichurri Dry Mix was in our MARY’s secret ingredients spring box. The summer box will mail on June 25th.