This classic vegetable quiche recipe combines fresh and colourful vegetables, a creamy filling and a delicious pesto sauce that makes for a splendid supper to enjoy outside on a warm summer evening, or as a cheerful wintertime treat. The manchego cheese is used in place of the more typical parmesan as it has a nuttier flavour, but both work equally well.Vegetable quiche is a flexible dish, you can mix and match your favourite vegetables; broccoli, sliced courgettes, mushrooms, diced cherry tomatoes, and finely sliced asparagus all work equally well. The quiche itself can be served hot or cold, and will last a few days if kept chilled. The pesto is best prepared at the time of eating though.
Ingredients
for the quiche
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 300 g single cream
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 2 peppers (brunoise) (de-seeded and finely diced)
- 1 broccoli (cut into small florets)
- 1 large tomato (de-seeded and quartered)
- 1 onion (peeled and sliced into rings)
- 1-2 spring onions (finely chopped)
- 5 tbsp manchego cheese (grated)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove (crushed)
- butter (for greasing)
- salt & ground black pepper (to season)
for the pesto
- 200 g fresh basil
- 200 ml olive oil
- 150 g manchego cheese (grated)
- 50 g pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt & ground black pepper (to season)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190ºC/375ºF or Gas Mark 5.
- Lightly grease a 16cm/6in springform flan tin and line with the rolled out puff pastry.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic, onions, peppers, and broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes – or until they are just starting to soften.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl to allow them to cool.
- Add the tomatoes, cream, and eggs to the frying pan and mix together.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and then gently spread the mixture over the pastry.
- Sprinkle with the grated Manchego cheese and place the tart in the oven for 25-30 minutes – or until a light golden brown.
- To make the pesto sauce, lightly toast the pine nuts in a pan and then place in a food processor with the garlic, basil and Manchego cheese. Continue to blend whilst slowly adding the olive oil until smooth.
- Place the sauce in a small bowl to serve with the quiche.
