ham and leeks with cheesy béchamel sauce

Prepare this from scratch if you don't want to bother with the ham rolls.
Use diced ham instead of sliced to avoid the ham flavor cooking out.

Alternatively, cut up leftover ham rolls and reheat in the sauce. Either way, the leeks have to be fully cooked.

This is the leek equivalent of endive with ham & cheese béchamel sauce. The pictures tell the story.

This is what you need for 2-3 servings:

3 WHITE leek trunks, at least 6" each
3 slices thick-sliced or chopped ham
2 cups Mornay Sauce
1 cups of a melting cheese you like,
grated or chopped,
e.g. Swiss, Gruyere, Pepperjack, Chihuahua, asadero, ...

Pic1: leeks with ham & cheese béchamel sauce

2021-05-09

Pic2-4: sautéing leeks

Cut and rinse leek. Use leek whites and/or light green leaves only.
Discard dark green leaves or reserve for soups.
Heat 4 tbsp. butter or 2 cups of water.
Add leeks. Cover and steam the leeks until soft, 15-20 minutes.
Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Drain cooking liquid and reserve to make béchamel / leek velouté sauce.
Compress the leeks to remove as much liquid as possible.

2014-04-16