Thursday 31 January 2013

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.



  





13 comments:

  1. I love making home-made pastry for our quiches, this is a good recipe. I just read on Rhonda's 'Down to Earth', your lovely blog is listed in her 'Weekend Reading' segment! Congratulations Kirsten!

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    1. Thank you! Isn't quiche just fabulous? I just saw the Weekend Reading at Rhonda's blog - how exciting :-) Thank you also for your support - your comments are always really lovely to read! Kirsten x

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  2. I'm happy to have just visited your blog for the first time. The quiche looks wonderful and I love seeing the recipe right there. I will enjoy reading your other recipes and trying them--the pork and peppers looks interesting!

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    1. Hi Ann! Thank you for coming to visit! I'm glad you like the look of the recipes - please let me know how you get on...I'm happy to make changes & add comments to the recipes! Kirsten x

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  3. Tis is one thing I actually have made many times. I quite agree with you it is a versatile, thrifty, and tasty dish. As usual yours looks terrific.

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    1. They are great, aren't they? I love how they never quite taste the same because I always throw something different in. Glad you like it too! Kirsten x

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  4. I think I might make this tomorrow as I have heaps of eggs and the feta , just need to pick up some leeks. I shop once a week, which isn't tricky now that there is only two us ( kids are all grown up). I spend more if I go to often and I'm really far to lazy anyway:)). Love you blog.

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    1. Excellent - let me know how it turns out and if the recipe needs adjusting at all. I guess you could just use some onions instead of the leeks or something like broccoli. Don't blame you about not wanting to go shopping too often! :-) Thank you so much for commenting on my blog! Kirsten x

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  5. This quiche looks great and with homemade pastry too! I find homemade pastry has a flavour all it's own. I do use ready rolled if I'm pressed for time but gotta love homemade.

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    1. Thank you - I do like making pastry but there's not always time as you said, so getting ready-made works well, doesn't it? Have never made puff pastry though and don't think I will - it sounds too difficult!

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  6. Just made the quiche and eaten it for dinner - just delicious:)) Even my husband loved it and he is a little fussy with quiches. I made a few little changes, I added bacon (which I cooked with the leeks) and used half milk/half cream and added 4 eggs instead of 3 (I wanted to use up some eggs). I added a mix of Cheddar and parmesan cheeses and decorated the top with mini tomatoes (as I have too many and needed to use them up). I will post a photo on my blog with a link to your recipe to share it around:)) I will certainly be making this again. The best part was the pastry. I made it several hours before hand (in the food processor) and it couldn't have been easier.

    I was wondering if you could made and freeze the pastry (in a ball) and defrost in the fridge and use when needed? That would be perfect for busy nights.

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    1. Oh - how exciting! I am so pleased you & your husband enjoyed it and I love the changes you made. Can't wait to see the photo! And thank you for linking it here!
      I haven't frozen the pastry before but I'm sure it'll be fine. I will give it a go & report back! Thanks again! Kirsten x

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    2. Hello again! I have checked a few other recipes that use a similar pastry dough and yes, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. It's easiest if you form it into a round disc rather than a ball as it'll defrost quicker that way and it should be wrapped in foil or a freezer bag prior to freezing. I will add this note to the recipe. Thanks again for your lovely comment! Kirsten x

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