Frisée / escarole

Cichorium endivia

leaf · prebiotic

Slightly bitter winter salads, two varieties of one Mediterranean species eaten since Antiquity: frisée with deeply cut leaves, escarole with broad leaves. They provide lutein, folate and nitrates.

Origin

Mediterranean basin

Season (United States)

September to March · grows in your region

Preparation

The leaves are separated, washed and eaten raw in salads; the outer green ones, more bitter, are better cooked — braised, in soups; the yellow heart is the mildest. It grows at ground level and catches the splashes of watering: washing it leaf by leaf, in plenty of water, beats a quick rinse of the whole bunch.

Molecules

Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · Folates (B9) · ChlorophyllIn small amounts, not counted Fructans (inulin, FOS)

Did you know?

This is the botanists' true endive — not to be confused with the Belgian endive of market stalls, which is a chicory forced in the dark.