Mushroom and pepper quiche

We have a lot of wild rocket in the garden. It is nice as a salad, but given the weather we are having, we don't really fancy salads much! For those outside of the UK, it has been raining for days here, occasionally heavily with some sunny spells, and it is very unsettled, so you cannot really plan a nice day out. Temperatures are around 16C, 20C at best. Let's hope this improves soon, because we are planning to cycle to Malmesbury for the WOMAD festival at the end of this month.


Back to my rocket. We have added some to the quiche and it was delicious. The rocket is not as tasty as it is when it is eaten as a salad, but it was nice.

Serves 4:

- For the pastry
180g flour (2/3 plain + 1/3 wholemeal)
80g butter
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP cold water

- For the filling:
1 TBSP basil-infused olive oil
2 red peppers, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
200g mushrooms, sliced
2 big handfuls of wild rocket, washed, pat dry and cut to a length of about 1 inch
3 eggs, beaten
150ml milk
40g cheddar, grated
salt & pepper

1. To make the pastry, mix together the flours, salt and butter with your fingertips, until it resembles crumbs. Add the water and knead until the dough is nice and soft. Roll out onto a floured surface and place into a greased and floured pastry case dish. Prick with a fork. Cover with baking paper and place baking beans onto the paper. Cook 10 min in a 180C preheated oven. Remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the filling. Fry the mushrooms in the oil for 3 minutes in a non-stick saucepan on high heat with some black pepper. Add the peppers, cover the pan and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 2 minutes until any juice from the mushrooms has evaporated.

3. Place the vegetables in the cooked pastry case and cover with the rocket, then the grated cheese.


4. Mix the eggs and milk together and pour over the quiche.

5. Cook for 30 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Enjoy!

Mushroom quiche (by Trave)

I was away in Warsaw for a couple of days this week and in spite of this, Trave made the effort to make himself a nice dinner and there was even some leftovers for when I came back. Unlike his previous attempt, this quiche was edible. I mean, it was really really nice ;-)



Pastry:
90g wholemeal flour
90g plain white flour
80g butter
pinch of salt
3 TBSP cold water

Filling:
400g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
100g to 150g cheddar, grated
2 eggs
150ml milk


1. Mix the sieved flours with the butter using your fingertips, until it resemble breadcrumbs. Add the pinch of salt and water. Knead until smooth.

2. Roll out and line a greased ovenproof dish. Cover with baking paper and bake blind with baking beans for 10 minutes. (oven at 180 C) Remove the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Place the mushrooms under the grill until golden brown and drain well. Place the mushrooms into the pastry case, sprinkle with the herbs and the cheese. Mix the eggs and milk and pour over the case.

4. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until set and golden brown. Enjoy hot or cold.

Hemp flour quiche

It was Trave's birthday on Saturday and his parents took us to Garden Organic Ryton, where they have a lovely restaurant with view on the flower garden and fabulous food! Shame the weather was bad: it would have been really nice spending the afternoon exploring their organic garden.

They have a shop where you can buy vegetables they grow and other organic stuff. I bought some rye flakes (current stock in the cupboard is close to nil), quinoa flakes (I have tried the grain but not the flakes yet) and also some hemp flour, which I used the following day to make a creamy potato and carrot quiche.



Pastry:

170g plain white flour
15g hemp flour
80g butter
pinch of salt
3 TBSP cold water

Filling:

500g potatoes, diced
5 carrots, sliced
60 ml double cream
3 eggs
150ml milk
150+ g mature cheddar cheese (I usually put at least 200g but I'm greedy!)
parsley (from the garden)
freshly cracked black pepper

1. To make the pastry, mix the flour and butter and salt until it ressembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and knead until soft and smooth. Roll and fill a greased quiche dish. Prick the case with a fork and cover with baking beans. Bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees) for 10 min. Remove the beans and return to the oven for 5 min.

2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and carrots until cooked but firm. Drain thoroughly then add the double cream and some pepper onto the vegetables and heat through. Add 1/3 of the cheese.

3. Once the cheese is melted, pour the creamy vegetable mixture into the pastry case.

4. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with parsley.

5. Mix the eggs and milk and season with pepper. Pour over the cheese.

6. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes and eat hot with a green salad or vegetables.

Carrot and leek quiche (multiseed pastry)

The amazing taste of this quiche comes from the unusual but yummy texture of the pastry for which I used the following ingredients:

100g plain flour
40g millet flakes
40g mixed seeds (poppy, crushed hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, millet)
80g margarine
3TBSP water

We used 2 big leeks and 4 carrots. Trave cut the veg into tiny bits which added to the great taste. Once fried, place the vegetables into the pastry case, cover with grated cheese, sprinkle with parsley and black pepper.

Mix 2 eggs with 150ml soya cream and pour over the filling. Cook in a 180 degrees-preheated oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!