Leftover's quiche

Oooh yesterday was quiche night. I love quiche, especially when I made it advance so essentially last night was a no-cook dinner! Fabulous. What is even better is that despite making this up it was absolutely wonderful. So wonderful in fact that by sharing this recipe with you dear readers I am making sure I have a copy of this recipe for the future. Yum.

So my plan had been to make a Quiche Lorraine (why Lorraine, why not Lucy or Lola?). But 1. I didn't have enough eggs and my local egg-lady (my lovely neighbour) was out and 2. I didn't have enough 'normal' cheese. I also happened to have lots of random bits of salad leaves/lettuce and half a pack of bacon in the fridge that needed using.

This may seem like quite a lot of work, so unless you can prepare it in advance then don't do it mid-week! I've had quite good results in the past freezing my uncooked pastry so you could try this and then it is just a matter or making the filling. It still isn't quick, but mainly because of the cooking time.

Leftover's quiche

Serves 6-8
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes + 1 hour in the oven.
Cost: £4.76 (£0.79 per serving for 6 servings), or replacing for a cheaper cheddar £3.51 (£0.58 per serving)

40g walnuts
200g plain flour
45-70ml cold water
50g baking margarine or butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 rashers bacon, diced
2 cups chopped salad leaves (use whatever is growing in the garden)
1 little gem lettuce, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
100g ricotta cheese
150g cheddar (or equivalent), grated

Make your pastry. In a food processor combine the walnuts and flour. Pulse until well mixed and the walnuts and finely chopped. Add in the baking margarine/butter, using the pulse setting to produce a 'breadcrumb' consistency. Finally add the cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing until it has nearly come together. Stop adding water and turn out into a piece of clingfilm. Wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Saute the onion and bacon for about 10 minutes until the onion turns translucent. You shouldn't need oil as the fat from the bacon should provide plenty, but add some if you need to. Add the garlic and saute for a further 2 minutes. Finally add you salad leaves and lettuce, stirring for 2 minutes then remove from the heat and let it cool down (the lettuce will continue cooking).

Turn your oven on to 200C and place a baking tray large enough to take your flan tin on the top shelf of the oven.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll out and use it to line a 23cm, loose-base, greased flan-tin. Prick the base and return to the fridge for 10 minutes.

Once the pastry has chilled, remove from the fridge, place baking beans on a piece of parchment paper in the bottom and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes until just golden. Remove the baking means after 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the eggs and ricotta cheese into a paste and season with pepper.

Once the pastry case is cooked add the onion and bacon mix, spreading it out evenly, then add a layer of the grated cheese and finish by pouring over the egg/ricotta mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 200C (180C fan oven) until the top turns golden and it is just set.

Thanks for stopping by,

Rose

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