Chicory not just pan-fried: 10 recipes to make the whole family love this vegetable

10 original recipes with chicory, ideal for surprising and conquering even the most skeptical palates in the family. Not just pan-fried: here’s how to make this vegetable versatile and irresistible!

Do you want to vary your usual menu? Maybe you didn’t know that a simple ingredient like the chicory It lends itself easily to numerous preparations that are very simple to make. You can add our suggestions to your collection of vegetarian recipes. Here is a selection of chicory-based dishes for all tastes.

Broad bean and chicory puree

The broad bean and chicory puree it is a typical dish of Apulian cuisine that you can bring to the table as a side dish. It is prepared using fresh broad beans or dried broad beans, depending on the season. Here is the recipe to follow step by step.

Chicory dumplings in broth

Chicory dumplings are a vegetarian variant of the traditional Tyrolean dumplings from Trentino Alto Adige. This dish was created to reduce food waste and reuse stale bread. With a soft texture and delicate flavor, chicory dumplings are a perfect first course for the whole family. Furthermore, they can be prepared in advance and reheated before serving. Here is the recipe to follow.

Chicory pancakes

To prepare chicory pancakes, start by washing 300g of chicory and boiling it for 5-7 minutes in salted water, until tender. Once cooked, drain it well and squeeze it to remove excess water, then chop it coarsely. In a bowl, beat an egg and add four tablespoons of flour, mixing to obtain a smooth batter. At this point, pour in about 100 ml of sparkling water, continuing to mix until you obtain a soft but not too liquid consistency. Add two tablespoons of breadcrumbs to make the mixture more consistent. Add the chopped chicory to the batter and mix everything together. Heat some oil in a pan and, when it is hot, pour spoonfuls of mixture to form the pancakes. Cook until golden brown on both sides, then drain on absorbent paper. Serve them hot

Chicory sautéed on pumpkin cream and toasted walnuts

To prepare this dish, start by cooking the pumpkin: brown it in a drizzle of oil with the chopped onion, a sprig of rosemary and a sprinkling of pepper, until it becomes soft and creamy. In the meantime, blanch the chicory in salted water, then drain it and sauté it in a pan with oil, garlic and chilli pepper, until it becomes tasty and slightly crunchy.

When the pumpkin is ready, blend it until you obtain a smooth and velvety cream. Pour it onto the bottom of the plates and arrange the sautéed chicory on top. Complete the dish with a generous handful of toasted chopped walnuts for a crunchy touch and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Marche cream with chicory and tarallo

Start by slicing a third of the onion and brown it in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil. Add the legumes from the Zuppa Marchigiana – chickpeas, hulled lentils and hulled grass peas – and cover with water. Salt to taste, then cook everything until the legumes are soft. Once ready, blend the soup to obtain a smooth and velvety cream.

In the meantime, sauté the already cooked chicory in a pan with oil and garlic, until it is well flavored. To serve, pour the legume cream onto the plates and place a nest of chicory in the centre. Crumble some tarallo on top to add a crunchy note and complete with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Chicory sautéed Roman style

There chicory sautéed Roman styleor ‘strascinata chicory’ is one of the simplest and quickest side dishes you can prepare with chicory. The traditional recipe simply requires sautéing the chicory with garlic, oil and chilli pepper. Clean the chicory, boil it, put the salt in the water, once drained, fry the garlic in the oil with a little chilli, add the chicory and sauté it for 5-10 minutes, and voilà the side dish is ready.

Chicory and goat cheese croutons

To prepare a delicious crouton with chicory and goat cheese, start by toasting some slices of homemade bread until they are crispy and golden. In the meantime, blanch the chicory in salted water, drain it and then sauté it in a pan with oil, garlic and a pinch of chilli pepper to give it flavor and a touch of spiciness.

When the bread is ready, spread a generous layer of fresh goat cheese on each slice. Add the sautéed chicory over the goat cheese, distributing it evenly, and complete with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If you want, you can also add a light sprinkling of black pepper or a few flakes of coarse salt to enhance the flavours.

Mantua pumpkin flan on Shiitake mushroom cream with fried wild chicory

This Mantuan pumpkin flan on Shiitake mushroom cream with fried wild chicory is an excellent single dish to serve, the preparation is very simple: start by cutting the Mantuan pumpkin into cubes and cook it in the oven with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper until it becomes soft. Once cooked, blend it until you obtain a puree and mix it with eggs, grated cheese and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour the mixture into small greased molds and bake until the flans are golden and compact.

While the flan is cooking, prepare the Shiitake mushroom cream. Sauté the mushrooms in a pan with oil, garlic and a pinch of salt until they are well browned. Blend them with a little cream or vegetable broth to obtain a smooth and velvety cream.

For the wild chicory, heat it quickly in a pan with plenty of oil until it becomes crunchy. Once all the elements are ready, serve by placing the mushroom cream as a base, place the pumpkin flan on top and complete with the fried chicory for a crunchy and tasty contrast.

Rustic chicory and mozzarella

Rustic puff pastry goes well with anything, let’s start from this assumption, to prepare this with chicory and mozzarella, heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a pan and brown a clove of garlic. Add the boiled chicory and sauté it for a few minutes, adding salt; if you prefer, add some black olives for an extra touch of flavour.

Roll out the puff pastry roll and place the mozzarella slices evenly on top of the chicory. Fold the other half of the pastry over the filling and, with a sharp knife, cut out a Jack-o’-lantern face on the surface, creating eyes and a spooky-looking mouth.

Brush the pastry with a beaten egg to obtain perfect browning and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes, until the rustico is puffy and golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then serve the rustico, perfect for adding a “monstrous” touch to an autumn dinner or a buffet.

Chicory and pecorino meatballs with broad bean cream

For these delicious meatballs, start by blanching the fresh broad beans for a few minutes, then drain them and blend them with oil, salt and pepper until you obtain a velvety cream.

In the same water, also blanch the chicory; drain it, squeeze it well to remove excess water, chop it finely and place it in a bowl.

Add the bread previously softened with a little milk, the grated pecorino, the egg, the chopped garlic, a sprinkling of nutmeg, salt and pepper to the chicory. Mix well until you obtain a homogeneous mixture. With your hands, form small meatballs, roll them in breadcrumbs and place them on a baking tray. Season with a drizzle of oil and cook them in a preheated oven at 200°C for about half an hour, until they are golden.

Serve the hot meatballs accompanied by the broad bean cream, for a fresh and tasty combination that will win everyone over.