I have heard this dish a number of times, but I have been too scared to attempt to make it. I always somehow got the impression that it was a difficult dish to make.

I guess I was mistaken. I came across this recipe in Mary Berry’s cookbook and it seemed pretty easy to make and the upside was that it was vegetarian.

This recipe contains artichoke, again I have never eaten artichokes, so I was also a bit dubious here, I will tell you something. Is it me or does artichoke taste like nothing in particular??? It felt like cabbage on my tongue, but the taste, it actually tasted tasteless. Or maybe I tasted something else altogether?

This recipe also gave me an opportunity to finally use crème fraiche in a proper recipe, normally I just use crème fraiche as a topping for baked potatoes.

My mother loved this dish, so that was a upside, I thought she would freak out when she saw the mushrooms and bell peppers. She is not a fan of wither apparently. News to me.

Ingredients:

• 500g x mushrooms, quartered.
• 2 x tbsp. oil.
• 1 x onion, finely chopped.
• 1 x clove garlic, crushed.
• 2 x bell peppers, deseeded and sliced.
• 2 x tsp paprika.
• Salt and pepper to season.
• 3 x tbsp. corn starch.
• 1 ¼ x cup vegetable stock.
• 400g x artichokes, drained and halved.
• 1 x tbsp. tomatoe paste.
• Crème fraiche and chopped spring onions to serve.

PS: I served mine on a big heap of cooked pasta.

Method:

• Heat oil in a pot.
• Add onions and saute till transparent.
• Add garlic, bell peppers and salt and cook till the peppers are soft.
• Whisk together the corn starch and stock till well combined.
• Pour the stock into the pot, add the artichokes, tomatoe pasta, paprika and mushrooms.
• Cover and cook till the mushrooms are cooked and the sauce has thickened.