Vegetable Quiche

You already know how much we love quiches or savoury tarts at Claudia&Julia. We have them in all colours, sizes and flavours, but we can't get enough. Today's recipe is a new one to expand the list and it's perfect to have on hand for when we want to leave meat and fish aside. Something that, we can assure you, you won't miss when you sink your teeth into this vegetable quiche. It's tasty, juicy and delicious. In a word: tremendous.

When we make quiche at home we like to make our own shortcrust pastry. It takes zero time to make and the result is nothing like the store-bought one. This time we added a small amount of whole wheat flour, which was a great success. As for the vegetable mix, what can I say? Total and absolute freedom when it comes to deciding which ones to use and in what quantities. It's fine to use the ones in this recipe as a reference, but don't let not having any of them stop you from making it. I'm sure it's just as incredible with other combinations.

Speedwing Gefu manual chopper , Opinel nº115 peeler , Caracère Revol porcelain plate and Le Creuset ceramic mold

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people)

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 200 g of all-purpose wheat flour
• 50 g whole wheat flour
• 125 g cold butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 80 ml cold water

For the filling:

• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 green pepper
• 2 carrots
• 1 small eggplant
• 8 green asparagus
• 1/2 zucchini
• 3 eggs
• 200 ml of liquid cream for cooking
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Chopped dried rosemary
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

ELABORATION

From the shortcrust pastry

1. Using a sharp knife and on a cutting board, cut the butter (which must be very cold) into small cubes.
2. In a deep, wide bowl , place the all-purpose flour, the wholemeal flour and the salt, stir and add the diced butter. Mix with your hands until you get a crumbly texture with no large lumps. This will only take a few minutes. Then add the cold water and mix again, kneading gently until all the ingredients are well combined.
3. We stretch the dough into a disk shape, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.

From the filling

1. Peel and remove the stems and seeds from the vegetables and chop them coarsely. Put each one into the chopper and chop to the desired thickness. Set aside separately, seasoning each one lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the vegetables. Start with the onion, garlic, green pepper and carrot together. When they are slightly tender, add the aubergines and cook for a few more minutes. You may need to add a little more oil, to taste. Next, add the asparagus and courgette and sauté for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pan and allow to cool before using.
3. Meanwhile, mix the eggs with the liquid cream. You can do this in a deep bowl using a whisk or in the blender bowl using the whisk attachment . In either case, season to taste and add a little chopped dried rosemary.

Finishing and baking

1. Once the shortcrust pastry has rested and the vegetables are cold, we proceed to assemble the vegetable quiche.
2. Using a rolling pin , roll out the shortcrust pastry on a floured work surface. Shape it into a circle, larger than the mould you are using. By cooling it in the form of a disc, this task becomes much easier and quicker.
3. Place the shortcrust pastry inside a 24-centimetre diameter mould, adjust it to the base and sides and trim off the excess. You can give the edge a nice shape or leave it as is, everything will depend on the importance you give to the presentation, the time you have and your skills.
4. Spread the base with mustard and spread the cold, sautéed vegetables on top. Pour the egg and cream mixture over the top, making sure it reaches all the places and taking care not to overflow.
5. Place the mould in the lower part of the oven, preheated to 180º C with heat from above and below, and bake for a minimum of 35 minutes or until the surface is lightly golden.
6. It can be consumed immediately, but we recommend waiting at least half an hour so that it is easier to handle and does not crumble.

Gefu Speedwing manual chopper , De Buyer serving spatula , Caractère Revol porcelain plate and Le Creuset ceramic mould