About the Recipe
Gratin is another of those dishes that you probably don't associate with gratin but it is served, in various forms, in restaurants up and down the country. This recipe would use the Japanese squash variant "kabocha" but as they can be difficult to find outside if Japan, I use butternut here as a substititute - it works very well albeit with a little difference in flavour. My recipe uses chicken but this dish works very well without if you want to go meat free.
Ingredients
700g / 25 oz butternut squash or kabocha
1/2 medium onion
180g / 6 oz boneless chicken thigh or breast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
40g / 1.5 oz butter
40g / 1.5 oz plain flour
400ml / 25 fl oz milk
80g / 3 oz frozen green peas
1 tsp French mustard
1/2 chicken stock cube
1/2 - 3/4tsp salt
a little pepper
60g / 2.25 oz cheddar cheese
Preparation
cut the butternut in half, deseed, peel and cut into bite sized pieces
slice & dice the onion
slice the chicken thigh or breast into bite size pieces
put the butternut into sauce pan, cover with water. add the sugar and bring to the boil. cook for 10-12 minutes until softened
heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a sauce pan. add & stir fry the onion and chicken for 3 minutes
add the butter and stir until melted. next, add the plain flour and stir again until all the flour is absorbed
add the milk a little at a time. keep mixing until you have a smooth, thick white sauce
add the green peas, French mustard, chicken stock cubes, salt & pepper. stir again
next, add the butternut. mix everything together to form your gratin base
heat your oven to 200C / 395F (fan)
carefully transfer the butternut mixture into an oven proof dish. sprinkle over the grated cheese and give the top a generous sprinkling of black pepper. bake the gratin in the oven for about 20 minutess or until the top is lightly browned