These Stuffed Endives with Salmon and Pistachio Cream Cheese are an easy, attractive, and tasty appetizer to put together when there is company.
I consider European vegetables like endives and artichokes to be exotic. When I was growing up, I did not even know these vegetables existed, let alone find them. My initial thought when I saw endives were that they are baby Napa cabbage. While Napa cabbage is seldom eaten raw except when pickled, endives are often served raw.
The shape of endive leaves lend themselves very well as little “boats” for a variety of stuffing. The leaves are refreshingly crisp and crunchy with a slight bitter after taste that is not at all unpleasant. Their diminutive size makes them ideal for appetizers since they can be easily held and eaten.
For the stuffing, I have decided to combine the slightly salty lox (cured salmon) with 1/3 fat cream cheese. The finely chopped toasted pistachios provide additional texture and the curly parsley gives a contrast of colors. These Stuffed Endives with Salmon and Pistachio Cream Cheese are an easy, attractive, and tasty appetizer to put together when there is company.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 oz (85g) Nova lox
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 oz cream cheese (115g)
- 2 tbsp pistachio (toasted and finely chopped)
- 1/8 tsp ground pepper
- 12 endive leaves
- 2 sprigs parsley (stems removed)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut lox into strips. Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Combine cream cheese, pistachio, and pepper in a small shallow bowl. Mix well with a fork.
- Spread one teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto each endive leave. Place 1 or 2 strips of lox on the top. Sprinkle parsley on the top.
- Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to be served.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
torviewtoronto says
April 4, 2013 at 12:48 pmyummy beautiful presentation
Biren says
April 10, 2013 at 3:59 pmThanks TorviewToronto!
Juliana says
April 5, 2013 at 6:52 pmVery creative Biren…love the combination of lox and cream cheese…nice and healthy.
Have a great weekend 🙂
Biren says
April 10, 2013 at 4:00 pmThanks Juliana and it is good to see you here. 🙂 I do like the combination of lox and cream cheese. They seem to go so well together.
Nasifriet says
April 6, 2013 at 7:19 pmEndives or “witloof” in Dutch is very popular in Belgium. You made them look so pretty 🙂
When my boys were very young, they disliked this veg, because it has a slight bitterness. They like it now when it’s eaten raw, like what you have done here, as well as in soup, garnished with crispy bacon 🙂
Biren says
April 10, 2013 at 4:02 pmWitloof…what a cute name for this vegetable! Good thing my youngest son enjoyed this dish. I think he will like it even better if I added some bacon chips. 🙂
Cookin Canuck says
April 24, 2013 at 6:22 pmEndive and smoked salmon are such a wonderful combination, and the pistachio cream cheese is a brilliant idea!
Biren says
April 24, 2013 at 7:05 pmThanks for visiting and commenting, Dara! This little appetizer hit all the right notes with its crunchy, salty, and creamy combination. We enjoyed it a lot. 🙂