Endive World - Home of California Vegetable Specialties

Contributor: Marlena Spieler, Food Writer and Broadcaster

Marlena Spieler broadcasts and writes internationally on her favourite subject: food - cooking, eating and sharing it. Bon viveuer, wit, and humourist, her lively unpretentious style of writing is much loved, and her original recipes are distinctive and innovative.

With over fifty cookbook titles (including contributions) to her credit, Marlena conjures up flavors and dishes from the Mediterranean to Mexico, California to France to the Italian islands, and also writes on single subjects such as chili peppers, olive oil and mushrooms. Most recently, Marlena published Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt, and also Williams Sonoma Paris: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World in 2004.

Marlena has been shortlisted numerous times for various awards including the prestigious James Beard (two books and one newspaper column), the Guild of Food Writers Awards (UK, best radio food broadcaster of the year, twice ), and the Association of Food Journalists (USA: Best Column in Newspaper of Over 400,000 circulation - twice) for radio presenting, food writing and books. She is a regular columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, and contributes to major newspapers in the UK, where she lives. She has also written for Saveur and Bon Appetit magazines, and is a regular contributor on British and American radio and TV. You can visit Marlena's website at www.marlenaspieler.com for more of her writings and recipes.

Marlena Spieler loves California Endive, and says we can quote her on that! She likes to add red endive to risotto in place of radicchio, and also likes to serve it with potato salad, "as the colour is great and the leaves are light and vivacious when a potato salad is often heavy (though delish!)." Marlena tells us that this wonderful soup recipe was "inspired by a soup I ate at Bistro Velly in Paris' 9th arrondissement. Creamy, smooth puree of endives, a balance of light vegetable with the rich creaminess, and the slight bitter edge of endive to keep it from being cloying, this is a marvelous soup to celebrate winter! The crisp nuggets of crouton add perfect texture, and the fragrance of oniony chives as you ladle it out into your bowl is simply divine." Enjoy!

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Calling the leaves of our California Endive "fronds" is unique to Marlena Spieler, who based this dish on a pastry she had at L'Arpege in Paris. "While the puff pastry bottom was divine," Marlena tells us, "it was the layer of endive on top, so simple and crisp and succulent at the same time, with the luxury of butter and the crisp crunch of sea salt, that I fell in love with." At home, Marlena often pairs this dish with roasted chicken.