Chickpea and mushroom quiche

 

This is one of my favourite quiches and is especially luxurious when made with cream. It is ideal for for entertaining, especially if you have baby new potatoes to go with it. In hot weather, when you don’t want your guests eating in a sweltering boat, it can be made in advance and eaten lukewarm.

 

I’m afraid that I don’t accept that a white sauce made with gram flour is an acceptable substitute for a sauce made with eggs. However, if you are well along the vegan spectrum, I suggest alternatives to cows’ milk, which is what I invariably use. You might want to use coconut milk - but I think that it might not complement the tarragon and green peppercorns.

 

Serves 2

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked and cooked

1 recipe pastry

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, diced

8 to 10 button mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter or extra olive oil

1 egg

1/3 cup (vegan) yoghurt OR cream

1/4 cup milk OR water

1/2 tsp tarragon

1 tsp crushed green peppercorns

salt

 

Method:

• Cook the chickpeas and set aside.
• Make the pastry and roll it out to fit a 230 mm (9 in) frying pan. Press to fit, cutting and pasting as necessary, to line the entire pan.
• Put the frying pan on a low heat over a flame tamer, and cook uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pastry is crisp.
• Meanwhile, prepare the onion and garlic and fry in the oil and butter. If you don’t have any butter, use an extra tbsp of olive oil, but the butter makes this quiche richer.
• Slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Cook without browning until the onion is thoroughly softened and the mushrooms have wilted.
• When the pastry is cooked, put the vegetables in the case, spreading them evenly over the base.
• Put the drained chickpeas on top, again spreading them out evenly.
• Gently beat the egg, yoghurt or cream and milk or water together. Mix in the tarragon, green peppercorns and salt. Pour this carefully into the frying pan, tilting it so that the custard is evenly distributed.
• Cover and cook over a low heat, until the custard has risen and is set – approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve, if you can with new potatoes and a salad of mixed leaves. On a hot day, and in the unlikely event that youcan provide it, chilled white wine is delicious with this quiche.

Alternative cooking:

• If you prefer to cook the quiche in the oven, line a 200 mm (8 in) flan case with pastry and bake it in a pre-heated, Fairly Hot oven for 15 minutes. If possible, put a heavy baking sheet on the top shelf to heat up with the oven. This gives you a better chance of ending up with a crisp base.
• Follow stages 3 – 7. Reduce the oven setting to Moderate, and then put the quiche back in the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the filling is set. It should have risen to the top of the case and be a delicate golden colour.

Note:

• I have made this quiche with green peppercorns in brine, when I couldn’t find dried green peppercorns, but the result it disappointing compared with the dried ones.
• If you have access to fresh herbs, you might well prefer to use these. However, tarragon has its own quite distinct flavour, which I think goes well in this recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will find many more recipes

Scots Broth

 

Traditional Scots Broth is made with mutton, or at least a mutton bone.  However, it is quintessential peasant food, making use of cheap and readily available ingredients.  I rather suspect that there were many crofts and cottages that rarely saw meat and that my version isn't too far from the original.  This is a great meal for those on a small income.

 

The soup made from dried and winter vegetables.  Leeks are often used, as are 'neeps', better known as swede (or rutabaga in USA).  Kale or cabbage can be added and often are, but they tend to make the soup smell a bit sulphorous by day two, so if you feel that you might be eating this soup for a while, I would suggest chopping and wilting some and stirring it into the bowl as you serve, on the first day.  Cabbage is worse for this, so you might be happy just adding the kale towards the end, so that it still has some texture.  The rest of the vegetables should be thoroughly softened.

 

Although it's called a broth, this is actually a pretty substantial soup and the starches will thicken it up overnight.  You will undoubtedly need to water it down the next day.  I use white pepper in this recipe.  This is the pepper that was generally used in Britain until the late 70s when black peppercorns and grinders became popular.  It is quite different from ground black pepper, with more pungency and less savour.  I think it seems the right one to use, but use black if you prefer or if that's all you have.  Don't go overboard with herbs - there wouldn't be many available in a cottage garden in the colder months in Scotland.  But I suspect dried thyme would be readily available.

 

If your seawater is clean, use 1/3 to 2/3 fresh water.  Don't add any more salt until you've cooked the soup and tasted it.

 

Serves 2, very generously

 

Ingredients

 

1 tbsp of oil

I large onion, chopped

salt 

I large or 2 medium carrots, diced

1 large or 2 medium parsnips, diced

1 medium potato, diced

1/2 tsp celery seed OR 1 stick celery diced

1 tsp stock powder

1/4 cup dried peas (eg blue peas)

2 tbsp yellow split peas

2 tbsp split lentils

1/2 cup barley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp white pepper

about 3 cups water

fresh parsley

 

Method:

• Soak the whole peas in the usual manner in your pressure cooker.
• When you're ready to make the soup, add the oil.  Then add the onion and cook for a few minutes with the peas, together with 1/2 tsp salt and mix well.
• Add the carrots, parsnips, potato and celery seed.  Sprinkle over another 1/2 tsp of salt and stir everything together.  Cover with a cup of water.
• Mix in the stock powder and then add the split peas, lentils and barley. Stir well.
• Now add another 2 cups water, if your pressure cooker can take it.  The split peas and lentils are inclined to foam up and block the vent, although the oil should prevent this, so don't overfill the pan.
• Spoon in the thyme and the pepper, cover the pan and bring up to pressure. 
• Cook for 7 minutes and let the pressure come down gradually.
• Once you can remove the lid, taste the soup and add more salt, pepper and thyme if you think it needs it.  Take out some grains of barley and a couple of peas to check that they are cooked through.  If not, cover and give the soup another couple of minutes under pressure, letting the pressure down gradually.
• If the soup seems too thick, thin it with more hot water and taste again.  It should be generously seasoned with salt and pepper
• If you have such a thing on board, chop some fresh parsley and add it to the soup.  Stir it all again and let it stand for a few minutes.

Serve hot, with fresh bread - or on its own.  This is definitely a meal in a bowl.

 

Note:

• Ensure that your root vegetables are all cut to about the same size so that they will cook evenly. 

Variations:

• Vegan ghee is a good alternative to oil, especially if you only have olive oil. 
• Add some shredded cabbage or kale. 
• Use a small turnip or swede instead of parsnip.  Alternatively, you can use less carrot and parsnip and add turnip and/or swede.  Or double the recipe and use them all (but you will need a large pressure cooker).
• You can add replace the onion with a leek or use both, but beware of overloading the pan!
• Use a different stock powder, or leave it out altogether. There will still be plenty of flavour. 
• Chana dal can be used in place of yellow split peas, which is what I do, because I always have them on board. 
• Use black pepper if you don't have white. 

  

You will find many more recipes for Soup here