Tasty Vegetable Gratin

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 50 mins

4 - carrots

1 - yellow bell pepper

1 small - cauliflower

7 oz - frozen peas

1 pint - thick cream or crème fraîche

2 - eggs

4 tablespoons - olive oil

4 tablespoons - chopped chives

- salt

1 teaspoon - ras el hanout (or mixed spices or garam masala)

4 oz - bread crumbs

2 tablespoons - broken almonds (or pistachios or walnuts)

a few knobs - butter

Peel the carrots and slice them. Cut the pepper in two, remove the seeds and cut into thin slices. Wash the cauliflower and cut into small florets. Cook the carrots, pepper and cauliflower in boiling, salted water for 15 minutes then add the peas and bring back to the boil.
Meanwhile, mix the cream (or crème fraîche), the eggs, the olive oil, the chopped chives and a good pinch of salt. Strain the vegetables and place them in a casserole dish in alternate layers, basted with the cream-egg mixture after each layer.
Mix the ras el hanout, the breadcrumbs and the nuts together (if you can't get ras el hanout, you can use mixed spices or garam masala). Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the vegetables, along with a few knobs of butter. Cook in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 6 - 400ºF - 200ºC) for 20 minutes. Serve hot.