Taking the bitterness out of witlof.

Because of its popularity in the Dutch kitchen, I had assumed the vegetable was Dutch and therefore was rather surprised when I learned that it was first accidentally discovered in Belgium during the separation war from The Netherlands in 1830. The Flemish farmer, Jan Lammers, who was forced to flee his farm in Schaarbeek, hid his chicory roots under a layer of soil in a dark cellar and was quite surprised when upon his return, he discovered that the roots had sprouted and grown white leaves.

The vegetable was first introduced in Paris in 1872 where it got such rave reviews that it was nicknamed 'white gold'. Interestingly enough, the cultivation of witlof took off in France only after World War I. Farmers who fled Belgium took their chicory roots along with them and began cultivating the plant there. It wasn't until the late 1970's though that the vegetable became widely available in The Netherlands, where up until today, it is commonly served as a side dish, in salads or in casseroles with cheese and ham. Outside of Europe, witlof is regarded as a delicacy by many respected chefs.  In fact, it is ranked right up there with the likes of caviar, truffle and saffron! Reason enough to give the vegetable another shot, I thought.

After looking through various recipes, there was one which immediately caught my attention- a warm witlof salad from Dutch chef, Yolanda van der Jagt. It called for the grilling of the vegetable, and in all honesty, I believe that you can pretty much grill anything and it will automatically taste good! Grilling imparts smokiness to vegetables and gives them a slightly caramely flavour. The list of ingredients which included strips of crunchy bacon and a shot of sweet, syrupy balsamic vinegar made it seem all the more promising. Well, I'm thrilled to report that I was pleasantly rewarded with one gutsy little salad!  The combination of tangy, salty and sweet kept my taste buds on the edge of their seats and as I mopped up the savoury dressing with thick chunks of warm bread, I had to smile! Once again, this was proof that anything can be delicious, as long as it's prepared well.

Grilled Witlof with Bacony Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

(Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a warm salad)

• 75g thinly sliced streaky bacon
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 500g witlof
• 2 tbsps finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

Heat up your grill pan.  Brown the bacon on both sides until crunchy. Drain on a paper towel and let cool slightly before chopping it into small strips.  I did this with a pair of scissors. 

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, mix the shallots, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Go easy on the salt though because the bacon is salty enough!  Let the shallot marinate for about five minutes before adding the oil and the bacon bits. 

Slice off about 1 cm from the core of each head of witlof (at the bottom of the vegetable). Cut the heads in half and heat up your grill again.  Yolanda's recipe indicates that you should brush the witlof with oil before grilling but I omitted this simply because there was enough oil left in the pan from the grilling of the bacon. Grill the witlof for about ten minutes turning them a few times.

Transfer the grilled witlof to a serving platter.  Give the dressing a good whisk and pour it over the vegetables.  Scatter with the parsley and serve warm with thick, crusty bread.

Foodie Facts:

• Ground, roasted chicory root can be used as a coffee substitute. This has especially been the case in times when coffee was either unavailable or too expensive. During World War II for example, most “coffee” in The United States was actually chicory. A brew made from the root contains no caffeine and has the added benefit of being a blood cleanser.
• If you're interested in other ways of eating witlof, or if you're a big fan of the vegetable, perhaps a visit to Restaurant Veilinghof in Kampenhout is in order.  The restaurant boasts over fifty witlof dishes and they even offer complete menus built around the vegetable! 
• Witlof is best enjoyed from October to April.

Tips:

• Witlof is grown indoors, in the dark, to prevent light from making the leaves too bitter. When buying witlof, look for pale, creamy white heads with compact leaves.  Only the tips should have a light yellow colour. 
• The heads can be stored in the fridge for up to five days if individually wrapped in paper towel. 
• Witlof does not need any washing.  Just trim the ends where most of the bitterness is concentrated and remove the outer leaves. 
• For those who still have their doubts about Dutch food, check out Yolanda van der Jagt's new book, Lekker Hollands.  Her sound approach to food and interesting dishes offer another perspective into the kitchen of The Netherlands.  Highly regarded by chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Yolanda believes in working with pure, seasonal products as the basis for good cooking. Unfortunately, the book is only available in Dutch.

Blogger Paola Duque-Westbeek has a passion for good food and the Dutch culture of the Golden Age. She has obtained a BA in Dutch Studies at the University of Leiden with an emphasis on Dutch 17th century painting.  In the future she hopes to publish a book about pure food and eating well."

For more information on Paola and culinary delights visit Paola's blog
In my life.

Photo by Paola Duque-Westbeek.

25 October 2007

[Copyright Expatica 2007]