Spinach, Onions and Cheese Quiche
Quiches and tarts are best for holiday cooking and baking, as they can be prepared ahead of time (and in stages), freeze and reheat. This allows more time for rest without going hungry or thinking “ooh what should we eat?”. Make sure to have a thin crust and an abundant variance of fillings. This is perfect for a light lunch and even picnics.
Equipment
- 24cm Quiche Pan
- Rolling Pin
- Frying Pan
- Grater
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 220 g Cake Flour or all-purpose flour
- 100 g Salted Butter at room temperature
- 1 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 Large Egg
- Pinch of Salt if you are not using salted butter
For the filling:
- 200 g Spinach swiss chard
- 4 to 6 Sage Leaves see video
- 1 Large Brown Onion
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Spring Onion
- 2 Teaspoons Onion Flakes
- Salt and Pepper
- Tablespoons 2 Olive Oil
- Tablespoon 1 Butter
- 55 g Mild Cheddar Cheese grated
- 80 g Mozzarella Cheese grated
- 50 g Pecorino Cheese grated
- 60 ml Milk full cream
- 80 ml Double Cream
- Cayenne Pepper optional
Instructions
To make the pastry:
- In a mixing bowl, rub butter (using fingertips) into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs or sandy texture.
- Add the egg yolk and egg to bring it into a dough. Mix, kneading slightly until it comes together. Wrap the dough with cling wrap and freeze for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200℃
- Place the pastry dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll into a circle that is larger than your quiche pan. If it’s too cold/stiff to roll out, leave it for 5 to 15 minutes then continue.
- Line the quiche pan and freeze again for 15 minutes, this is for in case the dough is overworked and the butter is no longer cold.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge. Prick the pastry in the pan with a fork. Line with baking paper and pour in baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the baking beans and paper and bake again for a further 10 minutes, or until the base is dry and firm.
To make the filling:
- Preheat a large pan on medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Then the chopped onions, sage and garlic. Season with Salt, pepper and onion flakes. Cook, stirring now and then, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add chopped spinach and reduce the heat to medium low, cook for about 5-7 minutes until the spinach reduces in volume. Check seasoning by tasting, add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper if needed. Leave it to cool.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream (you can add salt, pepper, and nutmeg if you wish). in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked spinach/onions, cheddar cheese, mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Pour into the quiche case/crust and bake for another 25–30 minutes at 180℃, or until the mixture is set but still a little wobbly