Serves 4

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time approx 30 minutes

150g/5oz closed cup mushrooms, thickly sliced

150g pkt oyster mushrooms, torn

150g pkt shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced

2 red peppers, de-seeded and sliced

125g/4oz green beans, halved

6 shallots, halved

284ml/10fl oz carton single cream

150ml/5fl oz crme fraiche

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Pinch of salt & pepper

75g/3oz vegetarian cheddar or gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Prepare mushrooms, peppers, beans and shallots. Place the vegetables in a 3litre or 6pt ovenproof casserole dish. To make the sauce, put the cream, crme fraiche, garlic, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring for 1-2 minutes until the mixture starts to become runny. Turn off the heat and stir in most of the cheese. Pour over the vegetables. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with lid or foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with some boiled new potatoes or with a bowl of penne pasta.

Variations

l Add a 15ml/1tbsp of honey and 10ml/2 tsp of mustard.

l Add thyme and white wine to the sauce for a classy Sunday lunch.

l Try a squeeze of lemon, tarragon and some flaked almonds for extra crunch.

l Throw in cracked black pepper and roasted garlic for an easy twist.

May 15, 2003 09:30