Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Tomato & Ham Quiche


Serves 4

Crust
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Pinch salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup of water
10 inch quiche dish

Into a mixing bowl add flour & salt. Using a hand mixer, drop the butter chunks into the flour and combine. You want it to look a bit like breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water while still mixing. You want a dough. Wrap in clear film wrap and place somewhere cool. Fridge is best for 2 hours. This can also be made by hand but keep your hands cold to avoid heating the dough.

On a flour counter top, roll the dough to fit the dish. You can trim off any excess.
Using baking beads or something to weigh the dough. If using something other than baking beads, line the crust with foil first. Cook in a pre heated oven at 200C / 392F for 10 - 15 mins depending on how thick your crust is. It does NOT need to be fully baked!!

Filling
6 eggs
2 cups whole milk
100g cooked ham / bacon
1 tomato sliced thin (for top)

You can choose what ever you want for the filling. I'm using sliced ham and tomato. Remember to cook meat, veg quickly in a pan before making the mix.

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a bowl. Add ham or what ever else you have decided to add to your quiche. Place sliced tomatoes across the top. Season with salt/pepper

Pour mixture into crust. Leaving roughly 1cm at the top so there is space to rise. If you are worried about over flow, place the quiche dish on a oven tray while baking. Cooking at 200C/392F for 30mins. It is cooked when you can stick a knife in and it comes out clean.

There are So many things you can do with a quiche. I made this with my 2 year old in mind and wanted to use things she loves to eat. You can add spinach, onion, cheese, mushrooms.

Serve with salad or fries!

Italian Chicken


Serves 2

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 chicken fillets
8 mushrooms
1 chopped red onion
2 tins of chopped tomato (roughly 750g)
2 tsp mixed italian herbs, dried or fresh
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 cubes of chicken stock crumbled in
Ground Black Pepper
200g Pasta

Pre heat oven to 180C / 356F

Brown onions in a pan with olive. You want them to be soft and fragrant.

Add ALL ingredients to an oven proof dish. Cover and bake for 40 - 50 mins. Cook pasta on stove top.

Once the chicken has been cooked through, add the drained cooked pasta to the oven dish and mix. Serve immediately.


(please note in my picture the pasta was not tossed through the mix)