Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ a small leek, finely sliced
• 70g Iberico or Serrano ham, diced very small
• 60g plain flour
• 75ml stock
• 325 ml whole milk
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt & pepper
• 75g plain flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• 75g dried breadcrumbs

Method

1. Sauté the leek until soft.
2. Stir in the ham and fry for a further 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the 60g flour and fry for approximately 5 minutes until the mixture is golden but not burnt.
4. Combine the milk and stock and heat until hot but not boiling.
5. Season with a few scrapes of nutmeg.
6. Add to the mixture a little at a time stirring constantly.
7. Cook for around 10 minutes until well cooked.
8. Add some pepper. The ham can be salty, so go carefully with the salt.
9. The resulting béchamel should be really thick. Smooth it onto a baking tray and cool in the fridge for an hour or so.
10. Form the mixture into small sausage shapes, approximately 3 cm in diameter and 4 cm long.
11. Dust with flour, dip in the beaten egg and then coat with the breadcrumbs.
12. Shallow or deep fry them in boiling oil and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until golden.
13. Drain on kitchen paper on a warm dish in the oven.
14. Allow to cool a little before eating, they get very hot! Serve with salad and crusty bread.