SAVOURY AND SWEET QUICHES AND BAKES

Here are the recipes of several quiches and bakes which I hope you will enjoy.

                                   COURGETTES AND CHEESE QUICHE

This is a quiche beyond words.

Pastry:

100 g butter at room temperature

  50 g feta cheese, crumbled

  50 g Parmesan, finely grated

180 g self-rising flour

Filling:

100 g bland kasseri or Gouda grated

100 g Parmesan, grated

2 medium-sized courgettes, thickly grated

2 medium-sized carrots, thinly grated

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 tbsp finely chopped dill

4 eggs, separated

250 ml (1 cup) light cream

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Start preparing the pastry.  Place all the ingredients in a mixer and blend until the mixture forms a ball around the pastry hook. Cover and ice for 30 minutes at least.  Then roll out thinly and line a buttered tart dish.  Prick the pastry all over with a fork, cover  with tin foil and beans and bake blind, in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 12 minutes,  discard the foil and beans and bake for 7 minutes more and let it cool.

Meanwhile mix the two types of cheese and place them into the pastry case and scatter the grated courgettes, carrots, spring onions and dill evenly over.  

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.  Mix the egg yolks with the cream and freshly ground black pepper until well combined. Then fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture and pour evenly over the cheese, not the pastry.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden brown and serve hot with a green salad and crusty brown bread.

                                   MACARONI AND MUSHROOM TIMBALE

This is a pastitsio with phyllo pastry.

18 fyllo pastry sheets

Melted hot butter

500 g (1 lb) macaroni

2 tbsp butter

2-3 tbsp grated San Mihalis or Parmesan cheese

Mushroom Sauce:

500 g (1 lb) white mushrooms, trimmed, wiped and finely diced

1 dry porcini mushroom, soaked, patted dry and finely diced, reserve soaking liquid

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

A large onion, peeled and grated

4 rashes of bacon, fat discarded, finely cubed

5 slices smoked ham, fat discarded, finely cubed

90 ml (1/3 cup) brandy

250 ml (1 cup) chicken or vegetable stock

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Béchamel Sauce:

150 g (5 oz) butter

150 g (5 oz) plain flour

1 bay leaf

1 ¼ litre (5 cups) or more hot milk

Grated nutmeg

100 g (3 oz + 2 tbsp) San Mihalis or Parmesan

   

First prepare he mushroom sauce.  Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil, over high heat, stirring constantly until slightly brown and dry.  Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Lower the heat and add the grated onion and chopped bacon and cook stirring for 5-6 minutes more.  Return the mushrooms to the saucepan, add the minced garlic and stir and simmer for two minutes more.  Pour the brandy and simmer stirring until the alcohol evaporates.  Add the stock and the porcini soaking liquid and sprinkle with, freshly ground white pepper and Cayenne, if using, and salt if necessary.  Stir and simmer gently until the sauce thickens.  Taste once more and season accordingly, if needed.  Sprinkle with parsley and set aside.

For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter add the bay leaf and sift the cornflour over and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.   Add the hot milk and stir for 19-12 minutes until the sauce boils and thickens.  Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.   Stir in the cheese and cool a little.   Then stir in the egg yolks and season to taste with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.   Finally gently fold  in the whipped egg whites.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in boiling, salted water until “al dente”.  Drain and return to the saucepan, sprinkle with cheese.  Pour the hot butter over and swirl.  Add 2-3 cups of béchamel sauce and mix gently but thoroughly together.

To assemble the timbale.  Line a buttered round, deep baking tin with 9 fyllo pastry sheets each lavishly brushed with melted butter allowing the excess to hang over the sides of the tin.

Place 1/3 of the macaroni over the pastry.   Cover with half the mushroom sauce and place a second layer of macaroni and top with the remaining mushroom sauce.   Arrange the last layer of macaroni over the sauce and cover with the fyllo pastry that is hanging over the sides of the tin.   Place the remaining fylo pastry on top, each brushed with melted butter.  Tuck the pastry sheets neatly down the sides of the tin.  Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (359 F) for 35-40 minutes until  the pastry turns crisp and golden.

Reverse on a  round dish and serve with sautéed vegetables of your choice.

                                                 MUSHROOM TART

A delightful, creamy tart.  Preheat oven to 180C (350 F).

Pastry:

210 g (7 oz) plain flour

Salt to taste

105 g (6 ½ oz) butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

1 tbsp water

Filling :

500 g (1 lb) mushrooms

1 garlic clove, mashed

1 small onion, grated

1 tbsp butter or olive oil

1 tbs cornflour

180 g (6 oz) grated Parmesan

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste

3 eggs

125 ml (½ cup) milk

125 ml (½ cup) light cream

  

First prepare the pastry, mix0 flour and salt well together and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the egg and enough water to have a soft, pliable dough.  Gather into a ball, cover and ice for 30 minutes at least.  Then roll out the dough, thinly, and line a buttered tart dish and prick the pastry all over with a fork, cover with tin foil and dried beans and bake for 15-18 minutes until sides begin to brown.  Discard foil and beans.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  Chop the mushrooms and sauté them in butter with the garlic and onion, stirring frequently until they release all the moisture and become brown, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the chopped parsley.

Whisk the cream and milk with the eggs, stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Sprinkle the pastry shell with half the grated Parmesan.  Spoon the filling evenly over, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and bake for30-35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

                                   

                                     COURGETTE AND POTATO BAKE

A delicious vegetable souffle. 

4 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

250 g (8 oz) mealy potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed with

1 tbsp butter

1 kg (2 lbs) small courgettes finely sliced

120 g (4 oz) butter

120 g (4 oz plain flour

1 bay leaf

500 g hot milk

120 g (4 oz) kasseri, Gruyere of Cheddar, grated

5 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 C) and butter a large soufflé dish.

Heat the olive oil m in a large saucepan and add the garlic and the courgettes and cook very gently until they are tender, and their cooking liquid has evaporated.  Smash them smooth with a potato masher and stir in the mashed potatoes until well combined and set aside.

Now prepare the béchamel sauce.  Melt the butter, add the bay leaf and sift in the flour, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes to prevent the taste of raw flour.  Lower the heat, pour in the hot milk and stir until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Then remove from the stove to cool a little.

Then add the béchamel to the courgette/potato mixture together with the cheese, the egg yolks and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Mix very well together until a smooth and rather sticky mixture occurs.  Very gently but thoroughly fold in the whipped egg whites.  

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the soufflé is puffed and golden and serve immediately with a green salad and a glass of white wine.

                                                   CHERRY TART

A delicious summer dessert, fruity and perfect.

Pastry:

210 g (7 oz) plain flour

30 g (1 oz) semolina

105 g butter, diced

1 large egg, whipped

1 pinch of cinnamon

Filling:

500 g (1 lb) black cherries, stoned

125 g (¼ lb-6 oz) sugar or more if you prefer

90 ml (3 fl oz) cream

A pinch of cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients for the pastry well together and gather into a ball, cover with cling film and ice for 15 minutes at least.  The roll out the dough, thinly, and line a buttered round Pyrex dish cover with tinfoil and beans  and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 17 minutes, discard the foil and beans and bake for 9 minutes more until crisp and golden brown, and cool.

Meanwhile, cook all the filling ingredients together until the cherries are tender and the syrup quite thick. Cool and spoon over the pastry case.  Serve with cream.      

By Caravaggio