Sunday 6 April 2014

Recipe: grilled vegetable quiche


While I am an absolute carnivore, there are times I yearn for an abundance of vegetables.  
I will then go through phases of "vegetarianism", where I (re) discover the tastes and smells and colours of the vegetable family.  In such cases, it's always good to have a good source of inspiration:  in my case, it's Yotam Ottolenghi and his book "Plenty".  
Plenty recipes to choose from, but this vegetable quiche is one of my favourite staples.




Grilled vegetable quiche
(adapted from Ottolenghi's "Plenty")

1 large aubergine
1 large courgette
2 bell peppers
2 medium potatoes

1 sheet of short crust pastry
2 eggs
150ml cream
100gr ricotta
salt/pepper/paprika/thyme


The only "incovenience" is the actually grilling of the vegetables:  in my case, it took about 15'  to cut everything in 1-cm cubes and another 15' to grill.  Start off with the aubergine, as this needs some marinating in 2tbsp of olive oil and some salt.  In the meantime, you can chop everything else.  
Afterwards, I put everything in two layers in the oven, no extra oil or salt at 200 degrees C -- and was amazed at how well it all turned out, nothing scortched, mushy or raw!

While the vegetables cool down, blind-bake the pastry, using (in my case) all dried-out pulses lying around in my cupboard.  After 20 minutes at 180 degrees C,  return for another 10' without the weights, just to get some lovely golden colour.

Two options:  you can organise the vegetables around the bottom of the quiche or you can just throw everything and let it fall in its place.  Believe me, it will taste wonderful either way...
Don't be surprised to find that the vegetables are filling up the totality of the quiche - it's meant to be this way.  Just try to find some room for ricotta and cover with more vegetables!
Beat the eggs with the cream and season. Carefully, very carefully on top (it helps if you've started with a deep dish).  Bake at 180 degrees C for about 20-30 minutes, until everything sets.
Even my die-hard anti-vegetarian friends were converted - can you blame them? Enjoy!

p.s.  The next time I made this, I "happened" to buy a bag of frozen grilled vegetables, containing the types of vegetables above.  True, it's no longer homemade, but boy, does it deliver!





This post is my entry into Weekend Cooking, a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish ReadsFor more information, see the welcome post.









8 comments:

  1. Looks very healthy and suitable for many meals and occasions.

    Shelleyrae @ Book' Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. true and true - I've even had it for breakfast!

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  2. This looks so pretty too! Now I can't wait for our farmers' markets to open again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. now's the time - thanks Beth!

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  3. Good idea to use the frozen grilled vegetables! I didn't know there was such a thing. When I clicked through from your link on Beth Fish Reads, I was wondering how in the world you would grill a quiche! Guess I misunderstood the name of the recipe. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that was a good one - many thanks Laurie!

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  4. That quiche. Looks. Amazing. So colorful & flavorful!

    ReplyDelete

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