Quiche (With Chicken and Vegetables)
What is your comfort food? You know, those cozy and hearty dishes with a sentimental value, and the associated nostalgia, the fond memories… The food that can really uplift your mood. Kashmiri food is my comfort food. Obviously. It is the magical taste that can transport me to the warm and familiar comfort of my mother’s kitchen.
However, sometimes we must step out of our comfort zone and try something new. What is life worth if we do not keep learning and exploring different ideas and ways?
Exploring new cuisines and cooking styles allows us, me and my partner, as hard core foodies, to express our passion. Who wouldn’t like to immerse in flavours from around the world? Just a little courage to try something different, that’s all you need.
Sticking to the routine is of course the easier way. One is always tempted to stick to the comfort zone rather than take a risky path. The uncertainty of the outcome, the challenging process and the unpredictable taste of a new dish may be the restraining factors. What if after all the efforts it doesn’t come out eatable, you ask? Well I always have some backup syun (Kashmiri curry dishes) in the freezer for rainy days. What if the steps are too difficult to follow? Come on, not when I have all the blogs and Google and YouTube to guide me step by step. And what if the taste is not as good? Everything may not turn out to be exotic but I will definitely enjoy experimenting, reviewing the new recipe and learn something. One can only know by trying. And more often that not, you won’t be disappointed.
The rewarding attempt
Here goes my one such courageous attempt- quiche. It is basically a French savory tart: a pastry base filled with a savoury custard of eggs and milk along with any vegetables or meat of choice and baked. The recipe is so flexible with the ingredients that you can use leftovers or whatever is available. It is so versatile that it can be had for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or even packed in the picnic basket. I’m so happy with everything about this dish- readily available ingredients, easy process and the lovely blend of flavours that it might soon make an entry to my comfort zone.
Fearless Improvising
In this recipe I have used shortcrust pastry for the crust. However, I also have a homemade crust recipe which comes out even better. Also, I don’t have a quiche tin but I use a springform tin to bake quiches. It works conveniently well for me. For the filling, most of the time I use leftover vegetables. Professional cooking calls for precision at every step but I believe home cooking should be more about exploring possibilities and improvising.
Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 ready rolled shortcrust pastry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped vegetables (e.g, spinach, mushrooms and spring onions)
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- ½ cup shredded chicken
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup Shredded cheese of choice (e.g, cheddar and mozzarella)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Roll out the shortcrust pastry and transfer it to a tart tin or any baking dish. Trim any excess dough around the edges. For blind baking, cover it with parchment paper and place dry beans on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Carefully remove the weights by lifting out the parchment paper. Allow the crust to cool for 10-15 minutes once it is done.
- In a pan, stir fry the chicken along with garlic, cumin seeds, salt and pepper for 8-10 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. The mixture should be dry.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until combined.
- Spread the chicken and vegetable mix at the bottom of the quiche crust. Pour in the beaten eggs. Top with shredded cheese.
- Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Springform pan or cake tin works perfectly well for baking the quiche.
- Readily available pie crust can be used in place of shortcrust pastry crust.
- Any leftover vegetables can be used for the filling to avoid step 4.
- Add other herbs and spices of choice for more flavour.