Carlos and I love quiche around here, especially on a lazy day like today but let me rephrase that again, we don’t just love quiche, we LOVE QUICHE! I am always trying new ways but what’s better than a traditional quiche, the taste of pure indulgence from a spinach quiche, or quiche with sautéed mushrooms. An appetising thought, right?
So I made a quiche that has bite-size pieces of chicken mixed in fresh basil and garlic, with caramelised courgette, fresh asparagus and sweet sun-dried tomatoes oh and Emmental cheese. Sounds complicated but honestly, it’s easy. I think it was the best quiche I have ever made, meat good…vegetables good…cheese really good!!
Knowing Carlos, I guess I’ll definitely be making this quiche again, creamy cheese, herby meat and fresh vegetables…a little over the top but gosh it’s scrumptious!
Ingredients:
1 ready-made pastry crust (250 grams)
1 medium chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium courgette, cut into bite-size chunks
50 grams asparagus, cut into half
200 grams Emmental cheese, grated
250ml single/cooking cream
1 large garlic clove
4 large eggs
20 grams, fresh basil
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of sun-dried tomatoes
Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Unroll the ready-made pastry completely. Press gently onto a 9-inch-diameter pastry.
Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the dough starts to feel firm around the edges for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the garlic, basil and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a food processor and blend until coarse. Mix in the chicken pieces and set aside.
Meanwhile heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large, heavy-based skillet over medium-high heat. Add the courgette chunks and sprinkle with caster sugar. Cook for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden, stirring occasionally.
Whisk the cream, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the Emmental.
Carefully remove the greaseproof paper from the pastry. Evenly place the chicken, asparagus and courgettes into the pastry crust and pour the cheesy batter over the ingredients.
Place a small handful of sun-dried tomatoes on top of the quiche and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until light golden, glossy and spongy.
Cut into slices and enjoy with a crunchy, leafy salad.
Anisha Fernandez 