Roasted vegetable & feta quiche with lentil and oat base

The special base for this quiche has been on my list of things to do for ages.

I love making quiche. It’s so versatile, and perfect for taking to work or as a packed lunch. You can put all your favourite foods in, in whatever combinations you like, and apart from the pastry it is pretty healthy. So, how can you make quiche without pastry? With a lentil and oat base of course!

Recipe for Quiche with a lentil and oat base
Base
125g red split lentils
1 onion chopped and sauted in bit of oil and butter
50g rolled oats
50g ground almonds
1tbsp tomato puree
1tsp dried herbs, or cumin, or garlic
50g grated cheese
1 beaten egg (or egg white if preferred)
Salt and pepper to taste

Filling
2 onions
1 red onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 Courgette
200 ml milk
2 eggs
4 tbsps creme fraiche
50g grated cheddar
200g feta, chopped into cubes

Chop all the vegetables, drizzle with oil and roast in the oven at 200C, stirring every 15 minutes while you prepare the base.

Boil the lentils in twice their volume of water for about 25 mins and keep stirring until they break down into a thick paste. Add the oats, almonds, tomato puree and seasoning so it forms a sticky dough. It’s too soft and moist to roll out, so press it into a flan dish with your hands. If it’s too moist add a few more oats and almonds. If it’s too dry add a little more water.
Carefully press the mixture into the base of the tin, levelling it out so it is at least 1cm thick all the way round. Bake the base in the oven for 15 minutes at 200C.

 

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a bowl, beat the eggs, then add the milk, cream fraiche and seasoning and whisk together until smooth. When the base is ready, place half of the feta evenly on the base, then spread the vegetables out on top, followed by the rest of the feta. Then pour the milk and eggs mixture over the whole thing, and top with the grated cheese. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Let the base cool for ten minutes, then slice and serve with a salad of your choice.

Tips

• Invest in a silicon rubber flan tin – this base is really sticky, and is tricky to get out of a metal base. The silicon base is much more manageable.
• Baking the base blind dries it out. If it is too thin, tiny holes will appear in the base, causing the filling to leak out as you pour it in.
• Be careful with the filling you use. Fillings with high water content, like asparagus or courgettes are likely to release more water during the cooking process. This can soak the base and make a watery quiche. Soak up the excess water with kitchen paper, or if you have time, leave the filling to dry out for a couple of hours before you cook it.

© Katheryn Rice 2007