Witloof Met Kaas (Gratinated Belgian Endives With Vegan Cheese Béchamel)
On the fourth day of our Belgian week we enjoyed recreating a very healthy and tasty oven dish with Belgian endives (white chicory). Traditionally, „Witloof met kaas“ is a dish based on dairy (kaas = cheese) and comes with „ham“. But as recreating vegan ham is not my speciality, I decided to go for the Witloof met kaas just with cheese and make a vegan version out of it. Oh, how we love the creaminess of this gratinated oven dish!
To find Belgian chicory has become easy even here in Portugal. Or maybe especially here, as there is a widely sperad community of Belgian expats living in Portugal … May I be able to contribute to the richness of a multicultural society with this wonderful meal.
The vegan cheese, a recipe inspired by great vegan cuisinière Michaela Vais (elavegan.com), and the vegan cheese béchamel go so well with the slightly bitter flavor of the tender endives. Enjoy this blend of Belgian tradition and nouveau cuisine with a nice portion of boiled potatos on the side.
Witloof Met Kaas (Belgian Endives With Vegan Cheese Béchamel)
Ingredients
For the vegan mozzarella
- 6 tbsp soy milk
- 1,5 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp coconut oil refined for a neutral flavor, unrefined if you don't mind a scent of coconut
- 1 pinch salt optional
For the cheese béchamel sauce
- 50 g plant butter
- 50 g flour
- 600 ml unsweetened plant milk best if not naturally sweet either, like soy or almond milk
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 0,5 tsp curcuma powder
- salt
- black or white pepper
For the witlof (chicorée)
- 8 white endives/chicories (type belgian endives)
Instructions
Preparing the vegan mozzarella
- If you have no vegan mozzarella stored, start with mixing the ingredients together and heat the mixture on low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It will reach a very chewy consistency! Note: if the coconut oil is still hard when you add it to the mixture, don't worry, it will become liquid with the heat.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl lined with plastic foil. Wrap the ends of the foil around the cheese and let harden in the freezer for 1-3 hours.
Prepare the witloof
- Trim the base of each endive. If desired, soak the endives in a bowl of cold water with a splash of lemon juice for about 10 minutes to reduce bitterness.
- Boil the endives in salted water on low to medium heat until tender (should take 10-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your products). Drain and let cool down.
Prepare the cheese béchamel sauce
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.Add the flour and let it develop a slight roast smell. Careful, the flour burns fast!Now bit by bit add the milk, whisking constantly and determently to avoid lumps. Stir in the nutritional yeast and curcuma. Continue to cook and whisk until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Assemble and bake the dish
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the endives in an oven dish. Pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the endives. Take the mozzarella out of the freezer and cut it in slices. Place the slices on top of the béchamel covered endives.
- Place the oven dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.Remove the dish from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Enjoy your Vegan Witloof met Kaas with boiled potatos or a green salad.