Chicory with ham and cheese sauce / witloof in hesperolletjes

Het is volop witloof seizoen maar deze Belgische groente kun je hier bijna niet vinden.  De mensen kennen het niet en dus verkoopt witloof niet goed.  Heel soms liggen er twee of drie eenzame zakjes witloof in de 'betere' supermarkt en dan wijs ik altijd opgewonden 'Kijk! Witloof!' en dan knikt mijn man verward 'Yes..'.  Hij eet het nochtans graag en dankzij mijn ouders heb ik onlangs deze groente weer eens klaargemaakt, op lekkere Belgische wijze: witloof in hesperolletjes met kaassaus.



It's chicory season!  Not that you would know as you very rarely see it in the shop.  It is a very Belgian vegetable and most English people don't know what chicory is or what to do with it.  You can sometimes buy it from the better (and more expensive) supermarkets - they look a bit like white, elongated cabbages.  I'm always happy to see them and my husband likes them prepared the traditional Belgian way: chicory with ham and cheese sauce.  I made this dish a couple of days ago thanks to my parents bringing over a stash when they were visiting.  I made lots, enough to eat on the day and freeze some too.  It's really yummy and easy to make, so do give it a go:

Steam the chicory (the larger ones you can cut in half) - I used eight
Meanwhile prepare a cheese sauce:
 (melt 100g butter, add 100g flour into the butter, slowly add 1 litre of liquid - I used some stock from steaming the chicory - whilst stirring all the time, finally add cheese to taste)
Once the chicory is soft give it some time drain as it can make the dish too watery otherwise
Carefully roll each piece in a nice slice of ham
Arrange in an oven dish - poor cheese sauce on top and add nutmeg or pepper and parsley to taste
Sprinkle extra cheese on top if you wish and leave in the oven until golden
Enjoy with fresh chips or mash!

Comments

  1. Babs08/11/2011, 12:48

    Lekker Belgisch, oh en wat witloof rauw met mayonaise er door, yumyum

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fashion Mom08/11/2011, 20:10

    hmmmm ik kan deze ook lekker klaar maken, maar hubby en kids lusten geen witloof:-( ik heb familie in Canada en als zij naar België komen eten zij er ook van want niet te vinden waar ze wonen. x

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Claire's quilted blanket

Image
Claire's birthday came and went back in July .  I did warn her that my light bulb moment had come a bit late (after her birthday) and that it would take a little while to sort out.  She had seen O's 'all boy' quilt and Martha's play mat and liked them both.  So why it took my brain so long to put one and two together I don't know!  Eventually realising she'd love something that combined Cath Kidston fabrics with a cottagey feel I started looking for the right things.  So I had to confess it might be a while before she got her birthday present. It was such fun looking for fabrics, putting it all together and thinking of steering away from 'just' squares and coming up with something I hadn't tried before.  I love some of the designs on this blog and often have a little admiring look around.  One day I want to be able to make such gorgeous designs! Anyway, there's absolutely nothing wrong with squares, but I fancied making something a b
Read more

Warm hearts

Image
Lingering Winter, we've all had enough of you. You have overstayed your welcome, you have been an unwelcome guest for a while. You are not taking the hints or even pretending to be going. You like it here and are oblivious of the growing annoyance your hosts are feeling. Your skies still grey, the wind still whirling over the hills and through the streets, chilling every bone it meets and the world around us still colourless and quiet. You like your stone-cold days and wintery ways. With your freezing temperatures you are keeping Spring paralysed and the world around us strangely transparent. I have almost forgotten what the sun feels like, don't let it be too much longer ~ please. I'll be wear this scarf for Easter, all it needs is a border and the ends sewing in.
Read more

Summer quilting project - halfway

Image
Halfway through the summer, already! Slow down! Also, halfway through the 'table runner' project.  That should say table runner s though as there were just enough half square triangles to make two.  They'll go across the table rather than lengthwise.  I can't wait to have them finished and dress the table :) That leaves choosing a backing fabric, buying some wadding and pondering about binding colours.  It means a little pause this week whilst that gets sorted. 
Read more