Endive isn’t the most popular vegetable in the grocery store, but once you get acquainted with it, it’s actually a lot of fun and the scoop-shaped leaves make easy and versatile containers for all kinds of other stuff. Try it here as the base for bacon and tomatoes: it’s an easy adaptation of the classic BLT in easy, snack-sized servings.
For the tomatoes, white wine vinegar and olive oil make a vinaigrette with a nice light flavor; it’s a little less in-your-face than balsamic vinegar but still vinegar-y enough to contrast with the bacon.
This would make a tasty appetizer, and you could even add a vegan option very easily just by leaving the bacon off some of the endive leaves (everything else is totally vegan). But it would also work as a side dish, basically as a substitute for a tomato salad. Try it with burgers, fried eggs, or anything on the barbecue as an easy way to do something a little different.
BLT Endive Bites Recipe
SERVES: 4
PREP: 15 min.
COOK: 15 min.
Ingredients
- 16 endive leaves;
- 4 slices thick cut bacon;
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced;
- 1 tbsp. fresh chives. minced;
- 2 tsp. white wine vinegar;
- 1 tbsp. olive oil;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon on top of the parchment paper and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain excess fat and, when cool enough to handle, break the bacon into crumbles.
- In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, chives, olive oil, vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff the tomato-chive mixture into each endive leaf.
- Sprinkle each stuffed endive leaf evenly with the crumbled bacon.