You can prepare chicory quickly and deliciously. We will explain to you which types of preparation there are for the winter salad and how it tastes the least bitter.

Preparing chicory: This is how you recognize good chicory

You can buy chicory particularly well at the weekly market from local farmers. It is best to choose organic chicory, as it is not contaminated with pesticides. Mostly you get white chicory. But there is also a red variant that was created by crossing chicory with radicchio. Red chicory tastes a little milder than white. Here are more tips for your chicory purchase:
You can recognize good chicory by the fact that it is relatively firm and has no brown or wilted spots.
Small chicory bulbs are less bitter than large ones.
The greener the leaves are, the more bitter they are. It is best to buy chicory whose leaves are white and only yellow at the tips.
You can store fresh chicory in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator for a few days. If you want to prepare it, you should wash it (cleaning the outermost leaves is usually enough) and cut out the stalk – this is particularly bitter and woody.

Prepare raw chicory in refreshing salads

In a delicious winter salad, chicory provides you with a particularly large number of vitamins. Since raw chicory tastes the bitterest, you should use small, mild bulbs when preparing it in a salad. If you then cut the leaves into fine strips, they mix particularly well with the other flavors of the salad.

What goes particularly well with chicory?

Salads with citrus fruits, apples or pears are classic. In fact, the fruity sweetness is a good balance to the slightly bitter chicory.
Strong cheeses such as Gorgonzola are particularly suitable as hearty counterparts.
You can then mix the whole thing with a spicy-sweet salad dressing and sprinkle with roasted nuts.

Prepare chicory in the pan: fry or steam

When you cook chicory, it loses most of its bitterness and takes on a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. Chicory tastes particularly delicious if you roast it in oil or butter for a few minutes until golden brown:
To do this, cut the tubers into small pieces or just halve them and cut out the stalk.
All you have to do is season the finished chicory with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a little lemon juice if you like.
Then put it in the pan for a few minutes.
It also tastes delicious if you serve the fried chicory with a white wine sauce.
You can prepare chicory particularly gently if you steam it.

It’s enough if you cut the chicory in half.
Place the halves in a pan and cover halfway with water.
If you add a little more lemon juice, you prevent the chicory from turning gray.
Bring the water to a boil, put a lid on the pan and let the chicory simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
Then lift it out of the pan or let the remaining water evaporate. Season the chicory to taste.
Tip: If you add a little sugar to the water when steaming, the chicory will be particularly mild.

Prepare the chicory in the pot

You can prepare chicory particularly quickly and easily if you blanch it.

To do this, bring a large amount of salted water to a boil in a saucepan and add the whole chicory bulbs.
Blanch the vegetables for about five minutes, then rinse them in cold water to keep them crisp.

Prepare chicory in the oven

Chicory takes a little longer to prepare in the oven, but it is also particularly mild. Since the tender vegetables disintegrate quickly, you should not cut them into small pieces, just halve them or separate the individual leaves. Otherwise, all that’s left is chicory slush.

Tip: Roast the chicory in a pan, season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh herbs, place in a casserole dish coated with olive oil and bake in the oven with a strong cheese.