I fancied a quiche today. Hadn’t made one in years, but it may have been an act of complete avoidance in writing my thesis. Pastry from scratch anyone?
Quiche is a great recipe for using random foraged greens. Foraged greens can be gently sauteed in butter like you would spinach, to make ideal quiche fillers. Examples are nettles, chickweed, hogweed shoots, or very young, tender spring tree leaves such as linden or beech. Don’t forget wild garlic season for a truly tasty treat, but if using these, omit the garlic clove in the recipe.
Today I used chickweed, hogweed and nettle. I adapted Mary Berry’s quiche Lorraine recipe.
Ingredients
For the pastry
175g (6oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
85g (3oz) cold butter (or cold margarine)
A little cold water
For the filling
2 large leeks
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1-2 large handfuls chopped nettles, chickweed, hogweed shoots (but replace with whatever greens you have)
A little olive oil and/or butter
100g Grated Gruyere or cheddar (optional)
2 large eggs, or 3 small
250mls cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Make the pastry
(Alternatively, use a pre-made base and save yourself time)
Place the flour in a bowl and grate the cold butter into it. Using cold hands (run them under the tap and thoroughly dry), rub the butter in until well mixed through (similar to a breadcrumb texture).
Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and knead gently and quickly to make the dough come together smoothly.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface until 0.5cm thick.
Butter a standard 8-inch square or round pie tin (best if it has a removable bottom) and line the dish with the dough, letting the pastry overhang the edges. Make sure it is pushed in well to the corners if using a square dish.
Prick the pastry all over with a fork to prevent it from rising.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, meanwhile start the oven to preheat it to 220 degrees Celsius (425F).
Line the pastry with baking paper and fill the bottom with baking beans or dried chickpeas to hold the pastry firmly down (if using dried chickpeas, they cannot be used again for food, so store them in a jar for future baking needs).
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take out of the oven and remove the paper and baking beans.
Cook the pastry for another 10 mins. while waiting for steps 8-10, make the filling.
Make the filling
Slice the leek finely and rinse well to remove any grit.
Chop the foraged greens, rinse and set aside. If Using chickweed, you will have to boil it for one minute to remove the saponins. Strain and set aside with the other foraged greens.
In a frying pan/skillet, heat a little olive oil and butter and place in the leeks and a pinch of salt. Place the lid on.
Stirring occasionally, let the leeks steam/fry without allowing them to go brown. If they start to go brown, add a little water. Cook for 10-15 minutes until soft.
Keep an eye on the pastry, remove when ready, and set aside to await the filling.
TURN THE OVEN DOWN TO 180 degrees celsius (360F).
Add the foraged greens and garlic to the cooking leeks and heat for a further 2-3 minutes until all soft and mixed.
Place the mixture in the pastry case evenly.
Sprinkle the cheese over the greens.
In a jug, gently whisk the eggs, cream, and salt and pepper together.
Pour over the pastry/leeks, gently nudging the greens with a fork to allow the liquid to settle around the base.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins until set and golden brown.
Do not be tempted to overcook, unless you want a rubber plank.
Remove from oven and allow to sit for 15 mins to ‘set’.
Serve with a salad and enjoy!