Nigel Slater’s recipe for chicory and haricot bean gratin
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A sumptuous, warming, cheesy veg midweek treat. Bring a large, deep pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Trim 6 medium-sized heads of white chicory, discarding any discoloured leaves. Lower the heat so the water just simmers, then cook the whole heads of chicory for about 7 or 8 minutes until they are just starting to soften. Drain and set aside.
![[Nigel Slater]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/10/09/Nigel_Slater,-L.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
In the empty chicory pan, warm 600ml of milk in a saucepan until it almost reaches boiling point, then remove from the heat. Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt 50g of butter then, using a wooden spoon, stir in 50g of plain flour. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring almost continually, then slowly introduce the warm milk, a ladle full at a time. Keep stirring until you have a smooth sauce. If it is at all lumpy, give it a good seeing to with a balloon whisk.
Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Season with salt and pepper, 2 tbsp of smooth Dijon mustard and a good pinch of smoked paprika. Drain 2 x 400g tins of haricot beans and stir them into the sauce. Grate 150g of a mature, fruity cheese (I used Coolea) and mix most of it into the sauce, reserving a little for sprinkling over at the end.
Place the heads of chicory in a large baking dish or roasting tin. Spoon the haricot bean sauce over the chicory, then finish by scattering the reserved cheese over the surface. Bake for 35 minutes until bubbling. Serves 3. Ready in 1 hour. Cook the flour and butter for a couple of minutes, to remove the raw taste of the flour. Stop just as it starts to turn biscuit coloured.
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