Vegetable Quiche (GF) (V) (NF)

The recipe below makes enough pastry and filling for a 5 inch tart tin which serves one person. You can make a bigger quiche in a bigger dish by doubling or tripling the quantities as appropriate but just bear in mind that a larger quiche will need a lot longer to cook the filling in the oven- an 11 inch diameter quiche would need at least 35 mins to cook at the end. If you’re wondering what it looked like, then (edit) I managed to get a photo of the second time I made one so I’ll make sure you get to see it- yippee!

100g gluten free plain white flour
50g butter
2 tablespoons cold water
half a small courgette, sliced
half a red onion, sliced
1 egg
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
35g grated cheddar cheese (I prefer medium Irish cheddar)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
half a level teaspoon turmeric powder
salt and pepper to taste

- In a bowl, rub the butter into the flour and turmeric until it resembles breadcrumbs.

- Add the water and gather it all together with one hand into a ball of dough, then wrap it in cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 mins.

- Drizzle the olive oil on the courgette and onion slices, then griddle them for a minute or two on each side until they are cooked.

- When the dough has rested, roll it out between two sheets of cling film into a circle which is about 4mm thick and is slightly bigger than the size of the dish (this recipe is for a 5 inch or 13cm size dish for one serving), then pick it up and lay it into the dish, cutting off any rough or overlapping edges (and using bits of excess pastry to cover minor cracks).

- Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and bake in the oven for 13 mins.

- Whisk an egg and brush the pastry base with a little bit of it to form a seal, then bake for a further 7 mins.

- Whisk the creme fraiche, salt and pepper into the rest of the egg, then stir in the veg and half of the cheese.

- Pour the creme fraiche mixture into the quiche base, then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and bake for 15 mins, then bake for a further 5-10 mins on gas mark 7 (a larger quiche such as an 11inch one would need to bake twice as long at this particular stage). You know it is cooked when you can place a spoon in the middle of the quiche and the creme fraiche mixture is no longer liquid.

I think this would be a great thing to eat at a picnic or with a cup of tea in the afternoon. It’s a little rich but thoroughly enjoyable.

Cooks tips: It’s not necessary to use courgettes and red onions in this recipe, it can also be made with asparagus, red pepper and spring onions or spinach and ricotta. Different cheeses can be used according to taste- I prefer medium cheddar but some people prefer to use stronger mature cheeses so that depends on taste as well.