Real (wo)men do eat quiche

Quiche made from leftovers...Leek & Feta Cheese

When do you normally do your food shopping?  Several times a week?  Just before the weekend?  If the latter is the case like it usually is for me, then by today you are probably beginning to run low on a few things in the fridge, the cheese is slowly coming to its end and making meals sometimes has to get quite creative until the next shop.  This is where my friend, the quiche, steps in - the perfect solution to avoiding food waste.

I love making quiche - it's just such a good way to use up leftovers and with a bit of salad or vegetables on the side, it's a great meal. And anything goes - whether it's broccoli & Stilton, leek & feta cheese, mixed peppers, ham or a bit of everything...have a look what's in your fridge and that's what it'll be :-)

I hope that this one will appeal to everyone in the family -  I do also have a recipe for a more meaty quiche with a mince beef filling, so watch this space - another post & photos will follow soon.  Because, after all, real men (and women) do eat quiche!

PS:  I have added a note to the Swiss Roll recipe following a reader's comment. Thank you to pigsmightfly!

Leek & Feta Quiche (makes one 28 diameter quiche)
(Note: When planning to make this, please allow for the dough to rest in the fridge for at least 30 - 90 minutes - the longer, the better)
 
Ingredients:
For the dough:
200g flour
100g cold butter, in cubes
75ml water
a little salt

For the filling:
1 tbsp oil
2 - 3 leeks (approx. 500g) - or replace with any other vegetables
100g feta cheese, crumbled - again, any other cheese such as Stilton, goat's cheese, mozzarella would be ok
3 eggs
1 tbsp plain flour or cornflour
250ml milk
25 - 50g grated cheese (cheddar or anything else you have to hand - this is just to form a nicely melted top on the quiche)
salt, pepper

Method:
For the base/dough:

1. Sift the flour directly onto your work surface and add the salt and cubes of butter, mixing roughly together.
2. Make a well in the middle and pour the water in; now working quickly combine all of the ingredients to a dough.
3. Form a ball, cover in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour but ideally for up to 90 minutes.
4. Once rested, roll the dough on a slightly floured work surface to a round of approx. 32cm diameter.
5. Grease the quiche tin and place the dough in the tin, covering the base and sides (cut off any "overhang" - you can keep this to make decorations to put on top prior to baking)
6. Prick the base all over with a fork. 

Preheat the oven to 225C (conventional oven) or 180C (fan oven)

For the filling:

1. Cut the leeks into thin rings and rinse under water to remove any sand.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the leek rings until slightly translucent - set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk and flour and season with salt & pepper (you may find it easiest to mix the flour with a little of the milk in a cup and then add it to the rest of the egg/milk mix).
4. Get your quiche base and spoon the cooked leeks onto the base, distributing evenly.
5. Now crumble the feta cheese on top of the leeks, again distributing evenly.
6. Pour over the egg mix and top with the grated cheese.
7. If you have any dough left over from cutting off the overhang, you could roll this out & use a biscuit cutter to make some decorations...now is the time to put those on top & brush with a little egg or milk :-)
8. Bake for approx. 30 minutes in the middle of the oven at 225C (conventional oven) or 180C (fan oven) - if the top browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
9. Leave to cool slightly, then serve cut in wedges with salad or vegetables on the side.