One of the many unintended side effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a scramble to get the garden in order, particularly as we've all spent a lot of time at home this year. As I am governed by my stomach, I decided that it was time to commit to a veg patch. I have planted several types of veggies (most of which have not been productive enough to call "crops") and we've had a handful of sugar snap peas, a modest bunch of spring onions, and a couple of lunches consisting of fresh salad leaves. There is one notable exception to my absence of "crops" and that crown goes to my courgette plants. Fruitful doesn't cover it - these things are prolific!
So like many people with a courgette surplus I've been working out how I can use up this glut without eating the same thing night after night. We've barbequed courgettes, but them in stir-fries and curries, added them to salads and pasta sauces, but so far one of my favourite and more successful recipes has been this very pretty courgette quiche.
Not only do the scrolls of courgette look very pretty, but they hold bursts of salty and tangy feta, accompanied by my super-charged pastry case. This way of cooking the courgettes retains a decent amount of bite, which adds a pleasant texture to the quiche. A slice of this tart makes a lovely light lunch accompanied by a fresh salad, perfect on a summer day.
As courgettes can sometimes be a little lacking in the flavour department the pastry is packed with extra goodies to help give this quiche a boost. This nutty, cheesy and very short pastry is moreish and I did find myself nibbling pretty much all the off-cuts from the tart case in one go. Perhaps with a bit of tweaking it could be made into some tempting crackers to have alongside a cheeseboard - perhaps this is something for me to work on when the days get a bit cooler. But for now, courgettes are the name of the game.
This quiche falls into the 'weekend cooking' category for me as it's a little involved at a couple of stages, but there's nothing too complicated about the overall recipe, it just takes a little time to put together.
Recipe - Courgette and Feta Quiche
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Jug
Scales
Rolling pin
Flan tin
Baking beans
Baking sheet
Food processor (optional)
Knife
Mandolin/Vegetable peeler
Fork
Ingredients
For the pastry:
100g cold butter, cubed
50g walnuts
75g dark rye flour
100g plain flour
15g Parmesan, finely grated
For the filling:
2 medium courgettes
300ml double cream
3 eggs
2/3 of a pack of feta, around 120g
A handful of soft herbs, I used lemon thyme and oregano as that's what's on my windowsill, but parsley, chives or basil would all work well
Salt and, of course, a pinch of pepper
Method
As with any quiche, the first thing to do is to make the pastry. A key way of introducing more flavour is to toast the walnuts. If you have the time, please don't skip this stage. The toasting helps crisp the nuts while simultaneously releasing the oils, making them very fragrant and adding depth of flavour to the pastry. I used a heavy cast pan to toast my walnuts on the stove-top. On a medium heat the nuts were nicely toasted after around 5 minutes - you'll know when they're done as the nutty smell will get fairly strong. Don't let them catch, so gently stir the nuts while toasting to avoid scorching one side.
Take the cool butter and rub in the flours, parmesan and blitzed nuts. This should give you a crumbly textured mixture. Use a small amount of cold water (no more than a couple of tablespoons should do it) to bring the pastry together. Remember - be sparing with the water as you can always add more, but it's very difficult to dry out a soggy pastry.
Shape the pastry into a ball, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 180°c.
Now it's time for the courgettes. I used my (scary) mandolin to cut the courgettes into ribbons, but you could use a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to achieve the same effect. For the wider ribbons I cut the courgettes down the centre to create 2 long, thin ribbons. Put to one side until needed.
Take your chilled pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured board or surface. The round of pastry should be around 5cm wider than your tin to allow enough to reach up the sides. Take the base of your tin and slide it under the pastry to help lift it into the tart case. Gently push the pastry into the tin, making sure that the pastry covers the whole of the tin. As the mixture is quite crumbly don't worry if you have any rouge cracks or tears, just use a little of the excess pastry to patch up any areas in need of repair. If the pastry has got a little warm with all this rolling and shaping then it might benefit from a quick 10 minutes back in the fridge to firm up.
Once the tin has been lined, scrunch up a sheet of baking paper and use this to line the pastry case. I find that pre-scrunching the paper helps it reach right to the edges. Pour in your baking beans (you can use dried beans or rice if you don't have dedicated baking beans) and pop the tart case onto a baking try to make it easier to move, then transfer the pastry to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking beans from the tin and return the case to the oven for another 15 minutes until it is crisp and dry. Tip: Gather the corners of the baking paper together to create a sling to lift out your baking beans. Leave these to cool in a heatproof container (such as a mixing bowl or saucepan) and store them when cool.
Trim any excess from the pastry with a sharp knife - eating the pastry off-cuts as you go is definitely a chef's perk worth having. Once the case is neatly trimmed and the crumbs cleared from the baking sheet put the case to one side while you make the filling.
For the filling simply mix the eggs and cream in a jug and season. If you are using any herbs chop them up and add them to the egg mixture.
Coil the courgette ribbons around the tip of your index finger and place them in the pastry case. The first few may unravel, but once you have a few in place the resistance of the other slices will keep the courgette in place. You'll get a feeling for how tightly you can coil the courgette after a few attempts (I had a couple of snapped ribbons after some over-enthusiastic rolling). Fill the case with as many scrolls as possible, keeping the cut side down for any halved ribbons (letting the colourful skin show at the top of the tart).
Crumble the feta into the part-filled case - I found that each scroll could comfortably accommodate a cube of feta, also ensuring that it is evenly distributed throughout the quiche. Carefully pour in the cream and egg mixture, making sure that each scroll of courgette is filled and surrounded by the savoury custard.
Return the quiche to the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden and set. After the first 20 minutes you may need to check on the colour, and if it is browning too quickly cover the quiche with a protective layer of tin foil.
Once removed from the oven, leave the quiche to cool slightly before removing from the tin.
Serve warm or cool, and keep any leftovers in the fridge.
This is just one way to use up a few courgettes, but I'd love to know what other recipes you've been using for your courgettes - I have plenty more on the way!
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