Veggie Quiche

Broccoli,tomato,olive and caramelised onion Quiche

Veggie tart with an olive oil pastry

 A variation of the traditional short crust pastry,I tried this one with olive oil instead of butter,though it may not have the same richness,it's light and quite flaky and I will definitely make it again !

The veggies are onion,tomato and broccoli...saute the onions-2 sliced ,in a bit of olive oil with thyme and salt,add the tomatoes,pepper and saute until pulpy...just before adding to the crust,add in steamed broccoli and saute lightly for 2 minutes.

Finish with a topping of 2 beaten eggs with 1 cup of milk and 10gms of grated cheddar cheese

so much healthier and gives you the same satisfaction as a regular Quiche...I just had to make a healthier one...I did promise you after all !!!!

Olive oil pastry

The method is similar as the butter short crust pastry...instead of 100g of butter,add 85-90ml of olive oil...then proceed in the same manner !

Short crust pastry...a delicious buttery pastry that offers a tasty base for a variety of toppings both sweet and savoury...few can resist a well made quiche/tart/pie when it's filled to the brim with delicious goodness !
Home cooking at it's best...which conjures up visions of homemakers in cookbooks of yesteryears,proudly posing with a rolling pin, clad in a checkered apron,make up and hair neatly in place,bag of flour on the counter and beaming big smiles of accomplishment...that pic always stayed in my head and probably the reason why pies fascinated me since childhood !
One reason the quiche is a good meal option is that ,once you get the hang of making short crust pastry...the filling is quite versatile...you can make it as healthy or as decadent as you wish...I who have always had a mental block for making short crust pastry,am very thankful for Rachel Allen's simple and foolproof method of making a short crust pastry...Ido promise you variations of this one soon !While I am quite averse to the idea of using potato in a quiche,when there are so many other more delicious and far healthier options,this one was made on request,delicious but I do recommend that you add other veggies like spinach/zucchini/broccoli...all go well with an egg and milk (no cream!!!) mixture !
It's a one dish meal really and a soup and a quiche make for quite a wholesome dinner...as always I have refrained from using white flour and have used instead a whole grain flour...I do plan at some point to substitute olive oil for butter...I'm sure it will work well too..I do hope you will try this recipe and I look forward to hearing from you of all the variations that you may come up with :))
A step by step version....

Potato and Chive Quiche

Bread crumb stage

adding beaten egg

dough to be chilled

lining the tin

baking blind with beans

brushing the pastry with egg yolk

the filling

baking at 180 C

Baked and ready

The last slice ;p

Recipe for Potato and Chive Quiche
Ingredients
Potatoes-4 boiled and cubed
Onions-2 finely chopped
chives-2 Tbsp (optional parsley,dill )-finely snipped
Eggs-4
egg yolk-1-whisked
Whole grain flour-200g
Butter cubed-100g
Olive oil-1 tbsp
salt,pepper,lemon rind-1 tsp
milk -250ml
cheddar cheese/Parmesan-25 g-grated
Method
Rub the butter and flour together with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs
Add most of the beaten egg yolk and bring together with a fork...or hand ,do not knead,just press to a firm dough
Place in some cling film,flatten slightly and refrigerate for a half hour to 1 hour
Now,in a pan ,heat the olive oil and saute the onions and potatoes with salt and pepper until golden...set aside.
Place a cling film on the work surface,put the chilled dough and stretch another sheet of cling film on top
This ensures that the pastry does not stick while rolling...keep stretching the cling film as you roll to a quarter inch thickness..
butter a quiche tin
Remove the top layer of cling film...lift the rolled out pastry with the bottom layer of cling film and quickly over turn onto prepared tin...use the cling film to smooth en and even out the pastry...remove the cling...your tin is lined...no mess ,no extra flour.
Now place some foil on the pastry and fill with beans to bake blind...to prevent the pastry from rising...
Bake for 25mts-until the pastry is almost cooked
Now ,beat together,eggs,milk,salt,pepper,lemon rind and grated cheese and chives/parsley/dill...set aside.
Remove the beans,brush with egg yolk to seal and bake for another 10 mts until dry
Now add the potato mixture.
Pour over the milk mixture and place in the oven
Bake for 20 mts or until set
Wait for 5 mts after baking to slice .