Comfort Food

When the weather is soggy, I crave comfort food. What do I like best?

I make braised endives.

Endives must be my favorite vegetable. I can eat it every day and still find pleasure in each bite. Having an addictive personality where food is concerned, I can safely say that endives, along with celeriac have been savored for months on end till I needed a respite.

This weekend, I braised endives with sugar, white wine, home-made chicken stock and aromatics till the juices married together to form a sticky, juicy crust that had a caramelly flavor that puckers the mouth with deliciousness and which also made me want to lick the pot clean.

I paired this with soft white polenta (not the 5-minute variety) to which grated cheese, scallions, butter and mascarpone were stirred in. Heaven!

A glass of Mosel completed the picture. This was just the ticket to soothe the soul.

I enjoyed it so much - I made polenta for dinner again this evening but this time omitted the scallions and added finely diced rosemary and thyme and used a mixture of Emmentaler and Parmesan cheeses to give it an extra bite.

I shan't mention what I had for dessert.