Easy, subtle comfort: Cream of Belgian Endive Soup

Belgian endives, leeks, onions, celery and cream are the basis for this delicately flavored traditional Belgian soup. Recipe below.

SOME YEARS AGO, MARION AND HER SISTER VISITED PARIS REGULARLY. On one trip, they also went to Belgium. Marion said they ate better there than any place they had eaten in Paris. So when I recently discovered the apparently appropriately named Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook, I was intrigued, to say the least.

This isn’t really a cookbook review—the book came out in 1996. But based on this soup and numerous recipes we’ve bookmarked to cook later, you could do worse than track down your own copy. Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook is a cozy read, sprinkled with stories of dish origins, the author’s own history and hand-drawn spot illustrations. As I flipped through it, recipe after recipe sounded like something I wanted to eat right then—and that I could absolutely make. Author Ruth Van Waerebeek grew up in the historic town of Ghent, Belgium, and learned to cook at the side of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is an adventurous traveler, and has lived and cheffed around the world. Van Waerebeek is currently brand ambassador and house chef of Concha y Toro Winery in Chile. She is the author of four cookbooks, three about Belgian cuisine and one called The Chilean Kitchen.

Belgian endive, the heart of this soup, is a form of lettuce with a cylindrical shape, pale leaves with slightly curly edges, and a pleasantly delicate bitter flavor. To achieve this look and taste, Belgian endives are grown twice. Seeds are planted in a field to develop thick, tuberlike roots. The conventional green tops are then mowed flat and the roots harvested with potato diggers. The second growth happens hydroponically in the dark, the roots stacked in growing racks and fed nutrients through a watering system. The darkness preserves the pale color of the resulting heads of endive and keeps them from becoming overly bitter.

Cream of Belgian Endive Soup is not a big-flavored soup. It is delicate and subtle, much like the plant itself—a cozy start to a dinner or, with some crusty bread and butter or cheese, a satisfying lunch or light supper. It can also be served chilled, if you like.

A quick note. We’re launching a new recipe format this week, one that better organizes the information and makes recipes a quicker read. It also has a “print recipe” feature, something readers have occasionally requested and we’ve long wanted to offer. Hope you like the new look and functionality. We will slowly start reformatting our older recipes. Now being in our 14th year here, that’s a lot of recipes, so please be patient.

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Cream of Belgian Endive Soup

Adapted from the Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook, this soup is quietly comforting and easy to prepare.

Course Soup

Cuisine Belgian

Servings 6 as a first course

Ingredients

• 1 leek, white and pale green parts only
• 4 large Belgian endives, about 1/4-pound each
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 3-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup half & half (or heavy cream)
• finely chopped chives or scallions, for garnish

Instructions

• Rinse the leek well, trim off the base and dark green leaves. Halve lengthwise and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch half moons. Rinse the endives, trim off the base, halve lengthwise and coarsely chop.
• Meanwhile, warm chicken broth in a saucepan.
• Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium flame. Add leek, endives, onion and celery to the pot and toss thoroughly to coat everything with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables. Stir to coat vegetables evenly and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Pour warmed chicken broth over vegetables and stir to combine. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• Purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor and return it to the Dutch oven. (Soup can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 to 2 days. Gently reheat before proceeding.)
• Warm the soup over a medium-low flame, but don't let it boil. Gradually stir in the half & half or cream and warm through.
• Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with scallions or chives. Serve.

Kitchen Notes

Serve it hot or cold. This being February in Chicago, we enjoyed the warmth. But chilled leftovers were just as delicious the next day, making it a perfect summer soup.