Christmas together | The ideal recipe to celebrate, according to Amine Laabi

Very active on social networks, on which he publishes a multitude of recipes, Amine Laabi was one of the favorite candidates of the culinary competition The Chiefs ! in the last few years. With all my hearther first cookbook, which arrived in bookstores in November, is ideal for entertaining during the holidays.

Amine Laabi is busy behind the large island which sits in the bright studio where he receives The Press the day after a snowstorm. It is here that the 75 or so Mediterranean-inspired recipes found in the book were cooked, written and photographed. With all my heart. A work that Amine Laabi carried out with the precious help of the epicurean host Alexandra Diaz, who co-authored the work, and her entire team.

As the holiday season approaches, the chef followed by nearly 440,000 followers on TikTok and more than 720,000 people on Instagram was asked to prepare an ideal recipe for the end-of-year celebrations. His choice fell on ranch endives.

(Re)discover endive

Cutting the end of the vegetable, he explains why: “I like unloved products, which we don’t really cook. We cook endives too little. »

Braised or in salad, endive can be eaten both hot and fresh, argues the chef who believes that this vegetable “with a beautiful bitterness” benefits from being better known.

In the recipe he prepares, the endives are served cold with a ranch-style vinaigrette, homemade bread crumbs and anchovies (“that’s optional,” he explains). A “fresh, very crunchy” dish, perfect for an aperitif, supports the verbose chef by checking the cooking of the bread croutons which will then be crumbled.

As he places the endive leaves on a large serving platter, he clarifies.

“If we all pick from the same plate, it’s a good time to share, I think,” adds the one who loves to entertain.

It was during a summer day when he was cooking for guests that he created this recipe. “It really came by feeling », Says the chef who likes to be inspired by the foods he has on hand.

Everyday recipes

“For me, if it comes from the heart, it’s good,” he adds during the interview. It is not for nothing that his book is called With all my heart.

His everyday cuisine being very influenced by the flavors of the Mediterranean, it is this theme that the chef born in Morocco has chosen to highlight in his work. “Here, we are very far from the Mediterranean, but we consume Mediterranean products without realizing it: tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, olive oil, olives, oregano. It’s already there! And these are not complicated products,” he observes.

Like today’s endives, the majority of its recipes are simple and can very well support beginner amateur cooks. However, some dishes presented have a higher degree of difficulty.

“These are not recipes from great restaurants, but they are family recipes with a lot of work behind them. Recipes for special occasions, I would say: there is braised lamb, paella, lobster gratin,” explains the chef.

A big fan of recipe books – he owns more than 200 – it was nevertheless important to Amine Laabi that his work be one of those that people enjoy consulting. “When people buy my book, I want them to make the recipes. I know it’s a beautiful book and they’re going to want to put it in a library, but you have to use it,” he says with a laugh.

His endive ranch starter finished, Amine Laabi opens With all my heart on the dish page. “It’s the same,” laughs the man who found it very important that all the photos in his work be free of “cheating”. “It shows when they’re not real foods,” says the man who has surely developed an eagle eye on the subject by consulting his collection of recipe books, one presumes.

“The images have to be appetizing. That we want to eat when we see the photos,” he believes.

And do “real endives” pass the taste test? Absolutely, we confirm.

Ranch endive

Looking for a little freshness for an aperitif? Here is Amine Laabi’s endive ranch recipe. “I find it very original,” says the former candidate of the show The Chiefs ! about this very simple bite to make.

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for spicy homemade breadcrumbs

• 1 dry baguette, diced
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) harissa sauce

Ingredients for Ranch Dressing

• 125 ml (1/2 cup) sour cream
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 60 ml (1⁄4 cup) chives, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 5 drops of Tabasco
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 1 ml (1⁄4 tsp) freshly ground pepper

Ingredients for endive salad

• 3 large endives without the core, stripped of leaves
• 2 radishes, cut into thin rounds
• Zest of 1 lemon, grated
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) fresh chives (or dill), chopped and 10 ml (2 tbsp.) for presentation
• Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, to taste
• 1 drizzle of olive oil
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) spicy homemade breadcrumbs
• Marinated white anchovy fillets, to taste
• Salt and pepper from the mill

Preparing spicy homemade breadcrumbs

• 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 2. Place the diced bread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until very dry. Let cool.
• 3. In a food processor, mix the diced bread and harissa until you obtain homogeneous breadcrumbs. Bake again on the same baking sheet and cook for 2 minutes. To book.

Preparing the Ranch Dressing

• 4. In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

Preparing the endive salad

• 5. Arrange the endive leaves on a serving platter so that they overlap and cover the platter. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then drizzle over the vinaigrette.
• 6. Arrange the radishes so that there is at least 1 radish per endive leaf, then garnish with lemon zest, 30 ml (2 tbsp.) fresh chives (or dill) and parmigiano reggiano.
• 7. Add a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with spicy homemade breadcrumbs, anchovy fillets and 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh chives (or dill). Serve very chilled.