Plump heads of chicory married to the intense Mediterranean flavours of sun-dried tomatoes, lemon and black olives, taste good baked beneath a crunchy crust of Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.
ingredients
serves: 4
1 medium-thick slice of day-old bread or 1/4 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
4 large heads chicory, each about 5 1/2 - 6 ounce
1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
Black pepper
16 pitted black olives
method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Remove and discard the crusts from the slice of bread, if using, and grind it into breadcrumbs in a food processor. Grate the Parmesan cheese into the breadcrumbs, mix them together and set aside.
2. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes on kitchen paper, then chop them and set them aside.
3. Remove any blemished outer leaves from the chicory heads, neaten the bases and cut each head into quarters lengthways.
4. Squeeze the lemon half and measure 1 tablespoon of the juice into a large, shallow, ovenproof dish. Then stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
5. Arrange the quartered chicory, cut sides up, in the ovenproof dish. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over them, then season them with black pepper.
6. Scatter the sun-dried tomatoes over the chicory, followed by the black olives, then sprinkle the cheese and breadcrumb mixture over the top. Put the dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
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