Chicory with tomatoes, topped with cheese and ham

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 3 chicory
• 6 m.-large tomato(s)
• Salt
• Pepper, freshly ground
• 5 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• some sugar
• 150 g cheese, e.g. Gouda, Emmental, mountain cheese
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 100 g ham, raw, smoked, e.g. Black Forest ham
• 3 tbsp, sifted breadcrumbs

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

rich vegetable dish – bittersweet, fruity and hearty at the same time

Halve the chicory stalks lengthwise, rinse under cold running water, drain well, and cut out the stems in a wedge shape, leaving the leaves still attached. Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stems in a cone shape, and cut into slices about ½ cm thick. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the chicory halves, cut-side up, close together in a baking dish (about 20x30x5 cm), alternating tip and root end. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper, and plenty of sweet paprika, and drizzle each chicory half with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the chicory halves, tiling the slices. Sprinkle evenly with a few pinches of sugar, salt, pepper, and a generous amount of paprika, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Braise in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. In the meantime, peel, wash, and finely dice the onions. Finely dice the ham slices. Coarsely grate the cheese. In a bowl, thoroughly mix the cheese, diced ham and onion, breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika, and plenty of freshly ground pepper with a spoon. Then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir. Let each mixture stand for a few minutes, stirring frequently until lump-free. After 30 minutes, spread the cheese and ham mixture over the chicory and tomatoes. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and crispy. I serve this with fresh, crusty baguette or ciabatta, or even small whole-wheat rolls. It’s equally suitable as a warm starter, as a light main course, or as a side dish to fish and meat. It’s also delicious with pasta and grains like rice, millet, bulgur, etc.