Endive is a vegetable that is extremely underrated and often given the cold shoulder in our cooking repertoire. This is incredibly unfair, and I was reminded of this by a Belgian acquaintance at the weekend, who authoritatively informed me that endive is Belgium’s national vegetable.

Good quality endive should be a creamy white colour and feel crisp and firm to the touch. For best results it should be stored in the refrigerator and used reasonably soon after purchase because it can easily turn bitter to the taste after too much light exposure.

Endive hails from the same family as Chicory. It is low in calories and rich in nutrients, such as vitamins B, A and C. It also contains iron, calcium, amino acids and fibre, which makes it great for slimmers. It’s also fantastic for people with skin problems or anaemia.

I asked my Belgian acquaintance how endive is usually served in his home country. Apparently, endive au gratin is extremely popular. Simply sauté one head of endive per person and place in an ovenproof dish. Wrap each head in a slice of Belgian ham, smother the lot in a béchamel or cheese sauce and bake until the dish is brown and bubbling.

My twist on béchamel is to make a classic white sauce using cornflower for thickening, season with plenty of salt and ground black pepper, and add a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese to give it a kick. Traditionally béchamel is flavoured with a bay leaf and the use of parsley or thyme, but these are optional and you’ll need to experiment which flavours work well with endive if you want to make the traditional Belgian dish – I’d probably go for a little parsley every time.

Eggs make a healthy and enjoyable choice for breakfast or lunch, but rather than fry them in oil, which often makes them sickly and greasy tasting, poaching is the perfect solution.

Poached eggs on toast

Nothing beats a good poached egg, with a thin layer of fully cooked, non-rubbery white and a warm, runny yolk.

The fresher the egg, the better the result when it comes to poaching. Stale eggs will simply separate and you’ll be disappointed with the outcome. I always maintain that organic and free range eggs are tastier and have better yolks – that may be a matter for debate, but I also prefer to think of the welfare of the chicken before the impact on my pocket.

Some people swear by their egg poachers and others suggest that you need to add a little vinegar to your boiling water for perfect results. I’ve never been particularly impressed with egg poachers and have often ended up with over rubbery or jelly-like whites when I’ve tried to use them. I’ve also heard of people poaching their eggs in a small cup that is placed into the pan or using a ladle as a makeshift egg poacher.

For perfect poached eggs, select a good quality, fresh egg and crack it into a cup. Prepare a pan of boiling water, and simply tip your egg in when it’s boiling really vigorously. It will usually take 3 to 4 minutes for the egg to be ready – simply scoop it out with a large enough spoon and drain off any excess water. Serve on granary toast with lashings of butter, a couple of warmed plum tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Simple but delicious.

One of the staple meals in my household, as a child, was pork and beans. My mother would fry the chops before she added a large can of Van Camp’s Pork and Beans. The meal was quick and cheap enough to feed six people. More often than not, however, the pork chops came out tough and dry.

Years later, I found a pork chop recipe that I enjoyed enough to adapt to my own tastes. The recipe below involves using a pan, but you can slow cook the ingredients on low for 7 to 9 hours. These chops are great with Augratin potatoes and coleslaw.

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 clove garlic
1 T. oil
2 1/2 cups catsup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T. hickory-flavored liquid smoke
1 cup onions, chopped

Directions

1. Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in oil. Drain. Return to pan.
2. While pork chops are cooking, combine catsup, brown sugar, garlic, onion and liquid smoke in a bowl.
3. Pour mixture over chops and heat until just boiling. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until pork chops are white in the center.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 can Campbell’s Creamy Ranchero Tomato Soup
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
8 corn tortillas or 6 flour tortillas, cut into 1″ slices
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
2 pods Arbol chiles

Directions

1. Cook beef in a skillet with 1 tsp. of Southwest Seasoning. Packaged taco seasoning will work just as well. Brown and drain.
2. Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half of the cheese. I like to use Essensia’s medium chipotle salsa because of its smoky flavor. You can also try black bean and corn salsa for that extra kick.
3. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart, shallow baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, then lay the arbol chiles on top.
4. Cover with tin foil and bake at 400º for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serves 4