With silverbeet now picking in many vegetable gardens and others still sowing seed and seedlings, this delicious but simple quiche is perfect for a weekend lunch or light dinner. Alternatively, serve with a fresh salad for a complete meal. We made this recipe with rainbow chard, but leafy greens such as spinach or mizuna will work just as well. If you have the time, homemade shortcut pastry is beautiful, but ready rolled pastry works just fine.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch silverbeet trimmed and chopped
8 medium free range eggs
1/2 cup pouring cream
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Fresh herbs of your choice to taste (i.e thyme, marjoram, basil or parsley)
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
100g ricotta cheese
2 sheets ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (or make your own)
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Prepare the base by lining a 24cm pie or flan dish with your pastry, place baking paper on top and fill/ weigh down with uncooked rice or commercial weights. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, remove rice and baking paper and place back in the oven to finish blind baking for a further 5 minutes.
Place chopped onion and garlic into a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add silverbeet and herbs, stirring occasionally until silverbeet has wilted. Remove from heat and allow to adequately cool. Arrange vegetable mixture evenly over the pastry case.
In a bowl add eggs, cheese and cream, whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in nutmeg and pour over the vegetable mixture. Crumble or place globs of fresh ricotta on top and bake in your preheated 180°C oven for 35 to 40 minutes until just set and golden
UP FOR A CHANGE?
- Add a few rashes of sliced bacon or pancetta for extra flavour.
- If you have them available, leeks make a great alternative to onions.
- A few diced sundried tomatoes are an excellent way to add a burst of flavour.
- Consider substituting Parmesan for cheese of your choice.
