This quiche is a great way to make the most of tasty seasonal veg: asparagus and chard in early summer, courgettes diced and fried, tomatoes, peppers, steamed broad beans, french beans in later summer, maybe steamed or roasted squash pieces in autumn or winter. Use dried or fresh herbs generously and enjoy a lovely texture of soft filling combined with a nutty crusty pastry. In early summer this is lovely served with new potatoes and salad.
Ingredients (for 4 – 6)
pastry
- 200g wholewheat flour
- 50ml rape seed oil
- 1 generous tbsp sesame seeds
- about 6 tbsps chilled water
filling
optional tasty bottom layer
- 1 tbsps oil
- 3 sticks of inner, more tender celery
- 6 medium-sized tomatoes, skinned and chopped
tofu filling
- 400g firm tofu
- about 350g prepared seasonal veg
- 3- 4 tbs water maybe less if you have steamed the veg and they are the soggy sort, eg courgettes
- 2 tbsps tamari
- 1 – 2 tbsp nutritional yeast or vegan grated cheese
- a generous tsp of dried herb of choice – eg oregano, rosemary, thyme or herbes de Provence – or generous tbsp of fresh herb eg parsley, tarragon, basil
- pepper
- garnish type veg for the top eg slices of pepper, tomato rounds, reserved asparagus tips
Method
- Unpack the tofu and leave it to drain in a colander
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180 fan), gas mark 6.
- When making the pastry it’s good to have the ingredients and your hands cold – you can run your hands under cold water beforehand. Combine the flour and water by mixing then rubbing with your fingers. Mix in the sesame seeds. Mix in the water until you have a not too soggy ball, gathering all the pieces from the sides. Leave in the mixing bowl with a plate over it and place the bowl in the fridge.
- If including the ‘tasty bottom layer’, use the oil to fry off the celery with herbs for 4 – 5 minutes then add the tomatoes. Keep stirring and don’t allow to stick for up to 10 minutes til you get a tasty paste.
- Prepare your veg. Steam asparagus, broad/french beans for 5 minutes, chard for less. Fry off your courgette etc.
- Squish the tofu into crumbs with your hands into a bowl. Add the tamari, half the water and yeast flakes/cheese. Whizz up with a hand blender and add more water, whizzing til you get a sloopy consistency, just a bit less than how you want it to be in the quiche. Add your fresh or dried herbs. For the quiche we made we didn’t add any herbs as the asparagus and chard have lovely flavours on their own.
- Roll out the pastry and place in a spring release cake tin or quiche plate, pushing it into the corners and sides and patching.
- Place the tomatoey paste in the bottom if using, put in half the tofu mix, add your veg and then the second half of the tofu mix. Add your garnishy top veg making a pleasing pattern or even an om.
- Place in the oven for 40 minutes.
