Classic braised chicory

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 4 small chicory (approx. 80 g)
• 2 small shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• Pepper, black, ground
• 1 lemon(s), the juice
• 90 ml white wine
• 10 g butter, in flakes
• 30 g butter, for the mold
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded
• 1 tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
• 15 g almond flakes
• 20 g butter, cold
• 1 tbsp Flour (as needed)

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

with roasted almond flakes

Reduce the stock in a saucepan by half and set aside. Trim the chicory and cut it in half lengthwise. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt the butter in an ovenproof dish and sauté the diced onions. Sprinkle with sugar, then place the chicory halves cut-side down in the dish, season with salt and pepper. Briefly brown in the butter. Pour in the lemon juice and wine. Let the liquid simmer for a while, then add the stock. Distribute knobs of butter over the chicory halves, place the dish in the oven, and cover with aluminum foil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes or diamond shapes. Lightly toast the almonds in a pan. Remove the dish from the oven, cut out the stems from the chicory halves, and keep warm. Pour the braising liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, stir in the cold butter (if the sauce seems too thin, thicken it with flour, previously stirred with a little water until smooth). Stir in the tomato pieces and parsley. Pour the sauce over two chicory halves and sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Serve immediately. It can be served as a standalone dish. We like to serve it with turkey breast. Tip: To save yourself the trouble of cutting out the stalk, you can simply leave it on the plate after eating.