Chicory wrapped in baked English ham

Name: Chicory wrapped in baked English ham
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: salt and freshly ground black pepper; salt and freshly ground black pepper; cayenne pepper; slice of onion; 1 bay leaf; 170 g Irish Gruyère-type cheese; 500 ml milk; 40 g plain flour; freshly grated nutmeg; a few sprigs of fresh thyme; 40 g unsalted butter; 8 small heads of chicory, bases trimmed and outer leaves removed; 8 thin slices baked English ham

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Richard Corrigan Cookbook

By Richard Corrigan

Published 1999

About

This is a simple dish — comfort food of the highest order. It is a hearty starter, and would make a great supper dish too. There is an Irish version of Gruyère, called Gabriel, that I would use here. If you cannot find it, use Gruyère.

Ingredients

8 small heads of chicory, bases trimmed and outer leaves removed
8 thin slices baked English ham
170

Europe
United Kingdom
Supper
Starter
Autumn

Method

To make the béchamel, put the milk, onion, bay leaf and thyme in a heavy-based saucepan and heat until bubbles form round the edge. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the chicory in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and refresh, then squeeze each head gently to remove excess water. Season the chicory, then wrap each head