Chicory and Celery Gratin

So. I feel this is something of a cheat of a blogpost. I wrote about a chicory gratin back in August, and this one isn't all that different.

It is, however, veggie, and at the moment, lack of meat in a recipe is all I care about. It's also just as tasty (perhaps more so, even... though the boy did note that it would be improved with a bit of bacon) and I am pleased with the walnut and thyme crust, which I shall now be using on top of anything I can imagine.

Quantities very easily halved (or just use one, not both, of the veg, which would save having small bits of random vegetables sitting in your fridge for the next week) for one person. You could presumably double up for a dinner party, too, although I'm not sure that this is really dinner party food.

And finally... a useful note about herbs. I've noted here that you can use two tablespooons of fresh thyme, or two teaspoons of dried thyme, and I generally find that to be a useful convertor (1 tbs fresh = same flavour punch as 1 tsp dried) for all herbs.


Chicory and celery gratin

2 heads chicory (aka endive), green or red
half a large head of celery
butter

More butter
Tbs flour
1/2 pint milk
200g gruyere

Four slices brown bread
100g walnuts
2 tbs fresh thyme, or 2 tsp dried thyme
glug of oil

Green salad, to serve


Start off by cutting your chicory in half lengthways, and by breaking off ribs (note: I *love* that celery sticks are called ribs. Something less like these it is hard to imagine.) from the head of celery, trimming any dried or dirty bits from the ends. Melt a decent slice of butter in a large frying pan (preferably one with a lid), and, once it bubbles, put the veg in, cut side down in the case of the chicory. Stick the lid on if you have one, and leave to sizzle for 10 minutes, shaking ocassionally, until they are slightly browned and softened.

I did some washing-up whilst they were cooking, but if you're not the sort to have a pile of 10 saucepans and an ice-cream maker in permanent residence next to your sink, you can make the cheese sauce during this time. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and stir in a tablespoon of flour. Cook for a minute until it turns deep golden, stirring all the time, then gradually mix in the milk, still stirring. Keep stirring as you heat the sauce, only stopping once it's boiled (when it stabilises). Leave to bubble very gently whilst you grate the cheese, then stir that in, together with a decent pinch of salt.

The final component is the breadcrumbs, which involve simply sticking everything except the oil into a food processor, whizzing until rough, then pouring in a decent glug of oil and whizzing again briefly, just to coat them all.

Construct the dish by putting first the veg, then the sauce, and then the crumbs into a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or so at 200 degrees, or until the sauce is attempting to bubble out of the dish and the crumbs have browned.


I don't normally make serving suggestions, but this really does need some kind of fresh green salad to go with it, preferably with a bit of crunch, to contrast with the sticky, rich, gratin. And a very crisp white wine, too.