Healthy Recipes Blog

Here’s a great vegetarian dish using choux pastry, mushrooms and nuts. The first time I made it, I wasn’t sure if it would work with the pastry just pushed to the edges of the dish, but it comes out of the oven looking and tasting good

Mushroom Gougère - serves four

50g (2oz) margarine

150 ml (0.25 pint) water

65 g (2.5 oz) wholewheat flour

2 eggs

50g (2oz) grated Cheddar cheese (fat-reduced versions works fine)

2 tbsp oil

1 chopped onion

250 g (8oz) sliced mushrooms

2 crushed cloves garlic

1 tbsp wholewheat flour

150ml (0.25 pint) vegetable stock

75g (3oz) roughly chopped walnuts

2 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Melt margarine in a pan, add water and bring to boil. All flour all at once and beat it until mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Allow to cool, add eggs one at a time. Beat vigorously until mixture is “glossy”. Add cheese and beat. Spoon the mixture around the edge of a greased 1.2 litre (2 pint) ovenproof dish.

Heat oil in pan, fry onions until soft. Add mushrooms and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, then stock and bring to boil while stirring. Cook for 3 minutes, until thickened. Reserve 2 tablespoons of walnuts - stir in the rest with the mixture and add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour this mixture into the centre of the ovenproof dish - sprinkle remainder off walnuts on top.

Bake in preheated oven 200°C (400°C, Gas Mark 6) for 40-45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and serve immediately.