These Endive Cups with Pancetta are an elegant solution to salad during appetizer hour. Full of color and flavor, they're the perfect plated first course or arranged on a serving tray.
Endive cups - an elegant gluten-free appetizer.
These endive cups can help get the holiday party started with cheerful and seasonal pops of green and red. They are easy to make and to serve as either a salad or an appetizer. They can be handheld and consumed in two bites if you use smaller endives. If you prefer a more formal presentation, serve two or three endive cups as a plated salad course. Endive Cups with Pancetta and Pomegranate work equally well warm or at room temperature too, so they are perfect for parties or buffets. And they’re naturally gluten free.
Make them vegetarian by substituting pecans for the pancetta, dressing the filling with a splash or two of lemon vinaigrette -equally delicious.
If you're not a fan of feta, or you love blue cheese, these are great with blue too. They are also fabulous without cheese at all, which makes them dairy-free and Paleo.
What is endive?
Endive is a leafy perennial plant from the Cichorium (chicory) genus, and believed to have originated in Egypt and Indonesia. Endive sometimes gets a bad rap. On its own some experience it as a tad bitter. But stuffed with ripe pear, pomegranate arils, pancetta and feta they're straight out of delicious.
A note about pomegranates:
The ruby-red kernels found inside pomegranates are correctly called arils, even though they are often marketed as "pomegranate seeds". The aril contains the pomegranate seed and the juice of the fruit, wrapped in a thin membrane. Arils are actually even healthier than plain juice because the seed itself contains punicic acid, in addition to all the superpowered-superfruit-goodness in pomegranate juice. You can find them in stores frozen, freeze dried, or fresh - or you can remove them from the whole pomegranate yourself. The seed inside gives arils a slight crunch, so I usually pair them with nuts or something crispy in recipes.
If you love pomegranates, try my Spiced Pomegranate Sangria and this Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Pomegranate BBQ Sauce.
This Pear & Roasted Beet Salad with Honey Vinaigrette is also a showstopper (and so yummy). It's a fabulous dish for pear + pomegranate fans.
ENDIVE CUPS WITH PANCETTA & POMEGRANATE
Serving salad during appetizer hour can be a challenge. This Endive Cups with Pancetta and Pomegranate recipe is a quick and elegant solution.
French