Sue's Recipes and Other Stories

Pumpkin, Mushroom and Chard Gratin (4-6)

Ingredients

80g butter
600g pumpkin ( prepared weight) peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes of about 1.5cm square
1medium-large oniondiced
acouple of sprigs thyme
leaves from 2-3 pieces of chardshredded, reserve the white part for another dish
a couple of handfuls mushroomswiped clean, any tough ends trimmed, and larger ones halved
2 garlic clovesminced
250g creme fraiche
2 eggslightly beaten
2tsps dijon mustard
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
140g Gruyere cheesecoarsely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Melt a generous knob of butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pumpkin, onion, thyme if using, and some salt and pepper and sauté, partially covered and stirring from time to time, until the pumpkin is softened but still holds its shape. This should take about 20 minutes.
Stir in the chard and stir until just wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas 5. Butter a large gratin dish or Pyrex dish.
In a separate frying pan, warm another generous chunk of butter over a medium-high heat and when it stops foaming, toss in the mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt.
Cook until a lot of their moisture has evaporated and they start to take on some colour. Add the garlic, fry for a further minute and remove from the heat.
In a bowl, beat together the crème fraîche, eggs, mustard and nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper. Tip the pumpkin mixture into the gratin dish (remove the thyme sprigs if you’re using them) and scatter the mushrooms on top.
Pour the crème fraiche mixture over evenly and give the dish a shake and a tap on the table to distribute the liquid evenly. Scatter the gruyère on top. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and golden brown on top. Serve hot, with a green salad and some bread.