Broccoli and Gorgonzola Quiche
Ruby Tandoh's broccoli and gorgonzola quiche, with nutty wholemeal pastry, is a gorgeous vegetarian bake. It's perfect for a special picnic or for entertaining a crowd.
Introduction
A savoury wholemeal pastry lends a welcome nuttiness to this quiche, chiming well with the blue cheese within. You can make this marginally healthier if you like, by replacing the cream with more milk, but I’m not sure that shaving those few extra calories off is worth the trouble. Just enjoy with a peppery green salad, and rest assured that it’s a good deal less fattening than the more common, bacon-laden Quiche Lorraine.
Ingredients
| For the pastry: | |
| 125g | plain flour |
| 75g | wholemeal flour |
| 100g | unsalted butter, firm but not fridge-cold, cubed |
| Large pinch of salt | |
| 2 tbsp | water |
| For the filling: | |
| 150-200g | broccoli florets |
| 100ml | full fat milk |
| 150ml | single cream |
| 3 | large eggs |
| 150g | Gorgonzola |
| 50g | walnuts, roughly chopped |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 23-27cm | flan tin or dish |
Method
In a large bowl, combine the flours then rub in the butter until fully combined. Stir in the salt followed by the water, using a cutting motion through the mixture to distribute the water until all of the flour comes together in small clumps. Ad a dew drops more water if necessary. Press the pastry into a ball, flatten it slightly, then wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Once chilled, roll out the pastry into a circle large enough t line the base and sides of the tin or dish. Because of the proportion of bran-rich, wholemeal flour in this dough, it’s more crumbly than a standard white-flour pastry. Roll out on a sheet of lightly floured baking parchment and don’t fret if it cracks or breaks as you slide it into the tin: just use scraps and offcuts to patch up any holes to stop the filling from leaking. Leave the lined tin to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, or the freezer for 15 minutes, and pre-heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°/gas mark 6.
Bake blind: line the chilled pastry case with baking parchment, then fill with baking beans, dried pulses or rice and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parcel of baking beans and return the pastry to the oven, uncovered, to cook for a further 5 minutes or so, until sandy and firm.
While the pastry is in the oven, boil or steam the broccoli florets for a few minutes – just long enough to rid them of their crispness while leaving them firm. Drain and leave to cool slightly while you prepare the filling liquid.
Whisk together the milk, cream and eggs, then crumble in the Gorgonzola followed by the walnuts. Season the mixture well. Cut any large pieces of broccoli into more manageable chunks and arrange over the base of the cooked pastry case. Pour over the filling liquid (you may not need all of it depending on the size of your tin or dish).
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/fan 160°/gas mark 4 and bake for around 30 minutes, or until set and barely firm to the touch. Leave the quiche to cool for at least 15 minutes in its tin, on a wire rack, before serving.
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