Today I propose a fresh salad with intense flavors, a Belgian endive and red onion salad dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. Excellent!
It’s true that I like bitter vegetables, and that I like onions. If they’re red, even better. So I thought to combine them together.
I was tempted to dress this simple endive and onion salad with just oil and balsamic vinegar. Then I remembered an old recipe among my kitchen scrappies, those recipes cut out from old newspapers, flyers, cards purchased by mail… that kind of scrappies. I went rummaging and found it. 😊
It’s a very simple recipe, with the endive being thinly sliced and dressed with an emulsion of oil, apple cider vinegar, and mustard.
So I tried it, obviously using my homemade red wine vinegar (the vinegar, not the wine) instead of apple cider vinegar, which I don’t usually use.
If you like mustard, if you like endive, and if you like adding onions to salads, you must try it. In fact, you definitely should. 😁
☰ ☰ ☰
If you’re looking for more recipes with Belgian endive, take a look at these 3 ideas: 👇
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz Belgian endive (3 heads)
- Half red onion (whole, if small)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- pepper
Tools
- Salad Bowl
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Small Bowl
Steps
Wash the endive and slice it not too thinly.
Wash the onion and slice it not too thinly.
👉 If the onion seems too strong, you can let it soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes, possibly adding a bit of vinegar to the water. In this salad, however, I used the onion as is, simply rinsing it under a stream of running water.
Place the endive and onion in a bowl or salad bowl.
In a small bowl, prepare the vinaigrette: with a teaspoon or a fork, vigorously mix the oil, vinegar, and mustard until you get a homogeneous emulsion.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, season with a generous sprinkle of pepper, and adjust the oil if necessary.
Mix and serve immediately.
Salt-Free Tips
Raw vegetables are excellent if dressed without salt, in this case, the salt is present in the mustard (I used common jarred mustard), so the discretionary addition of salt can be avoided.
If you’re interested in delving into the subject of “no added salt”, I refer you to my article Cooking without Salt or, more briefly, the advice with which I always conclude my recipes. These:
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
■ Reduce salt gradually, your palate needs to adjust slowly and shouldn’t notice the progressive reduction.
■ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
■ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
■ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
■ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
■ Use my salt-free vegetable granulate and gomasio.
■ Prefer fresh foods.
■ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
■ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
■ Occasionally allow yourself an exception. It’s good for your mood and helps you persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
■ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
Follow Me!
On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s Group, in the Kitchen and Beyond and Just What I Was Looking For! and if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter
