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At the restaurant we grow a lot of our own vegetables. At this time of the year, Kevin (our gardener) has a great supply of salads, courgettes and herbs. While travelling around the country, I meet a lot of people who are getting good value and enjoyment from their gardens. For this week’s quiche recipe, you can change the ingredients to suit what you are growing.
It is very easy to cook and has a nice combination of flavours; ideal for a picnic or light lunch. I love cooked ham this time of the year and use it a lot in wraps throughout the summer. When purchasing your ham or bacon, be sure to look out for the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark. Drinagh is one of my favourite Irish cheddars. I use it nearly every day. An onion or tomato relish completes this tasty quiche.
For these cheesy sausage rolls, I like to use Roll It pasty - an all-butter pastry made by Mairead Finnegan in Kells, Co Meath. She has won lots of awards over the last ten years. Your butcher will have good quality sausage meat. You can make these rolls ahead and freeze them, but remember that cooking from frozen will take that bit longer so make sure the meat is well cooked.
Happy Cooking,
Neven
Serves 4
Ingredients
200g (7oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g (4oz) cold butter, diced
1 tsp salt
5 eggs (one for the pastry; the remainder for the quiche filling)
1 courgette, peeled into thin ribbons with a peeler
50g (2oz) cooked ham chunks
50g (2oz) mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
5 tbsp red onion relish
250ml (9fl oz) cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
green salad, to serve
Method
1 Blitz the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs. Beat one of the eggs, then add and pulse until the dough comes together. Shape into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
2 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/ gas mark 4). Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to line a 20cm (8in) loosebottomed tart tin that’s 4cm (1½in) deep. Use the rolling pin to lift it into the tin. Push the pastry into the corners with your thumb.
3 Line the pastry with non-stick baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove the paper and beans. Add the courgette ribbons to the pastry with the ham, Cheddar and relish.
4 Whisk the remaining four eggs and cream in a bowl, season to taste and pour it over the filling. Place the quiche on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, until almost set and golden. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into slices to serve with salad (it is also delicious served at room temperature).
Serves 4
500g (1lb 2oz) sausage meat
1 small onion, finely chopped
50g (2oz) mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg
500g (1lb 2oz) puff pastry, thawed if frozen
a little plain flour, for dusting
4 tbsp tomato and chilli relish, plus extra to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). To make the filling, mix the sausage meat in a bowl with the onion, Cheddar and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
2 Crack the egg into a small bowl and mix with a fork, with a pinch of salt.
3 Cut the pastry in half and roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to make a long, oblong shape that is 33cm x 23cm (13in x 9in). Cut in half again and spread each piece with one tablespoon of the relish on top, leaving the edges clear.
4 Form one quarter of the filling into a log shape and place on the relish-lined pastry approximately 5mm (¼in) from the edge. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, then fold over to enclose the filling and seal the edges with a fork. Repeat.
5 Trim and cut into bite-sized pieces. Brush with beaten egg and arrange on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until cooked through, swapping the baking sheets halfway through. Serve hot or cold with the relish.
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