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!