Nutri Natters

Rita’s blog for lovers of real food

Wheat-free (or gluten-free) summer quiche

31st August 2019

Leek, mushroom and cheese quiche

Even if you are avoiding wheat, there’s no need to miss out on quiche, one of summer’s eating pleasures.  And by using gluten-free oats, this pastry can be gluten-free. If you’re not a dab hand at rolling pastry, it’s easy to line the flan dish by flattening chunks of the mixture into the dish and up the sides. So, there’s no excuse not to put your pinny on and get baking! Thanks to my friend and fellow nutritional therapist, Caroline, for the pastry recipe.

For the wheat-free (or gluten-free) pastry:
3oz, 75g porridge oats or gluten-free oats
3oz, 75g gluten-free flour mix or rice flour
¼ -½ teaspoon sea salt
2 oz, 50g cold butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4oz, 100g cold cooked mashed potato (scooped out baked potato will do) or mashed sweet potato
½ beaten egg
A flan dish flan tin 8”x 1½” ( 20 x 2.5 cm)

What to do:
Set oven to 180ºC/350 ºF/gas mark 6.  Mix oats, flour and salt together in a bowl.  Quickly grate the butter on a coarse grater into the dry mixture.  Rub it together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Or, mix it in a food processor for a few seconds until it makes crumbs.

Add the mashed potato, breaking it up and mix it into the crumbs with a fork.  Add the oil and less than ½ a beaten egg and continue working it with the fork, adding more egg as necessary until it binds together to form a soft dough.

Roll out as normal pastry using rice or gluten-free flour to dust and line the flan dish.  It is fairly fragile to handle, so you may find it easier to flatten it into the tin an bring it up the sides.

Bake the pastry case in the oven for 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked but not browned. You can store the flan case in the fridge for up to a day until ready to use.

For the filling:
½ tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil
2 medium sized leeks, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
8 mushrooms, sliced
5oz, 140gr of hard cheese, grated e.g. cheddar, goat’s sheep’s
A handful of chopped chives
2 tomatoes, sliced or 6 dried tomato pieces (soak in hot water for 10 minutes to rehydrate)
2 eggs, plus the egg remaining from mixing the pastry
1-2 fl oz, 50 ml of milk of your choice (cow’s, rice or 25 ml of plain yoghurt mixed with 25ml of water)
Sea salt and pepper

What to do:
Set oven to 180ºC/350 ºF/gas mark 6.  Wash and prepare the vegetables. Lightly fry the chopped leeks in the oil until soft then add the mushrooms and cook the mixture for a few minutes.
Meanwhile beat the eggs together with the milk and seasoning.

Pile the cooked leeks and mushrooms into the semi-cooked pastry case (still in the flan dish) and scatter over the grated cheese. Stir the egg mixture and pour over the vegetables, making sure the pastry case is not over-filled. Decorate the top with tomato slices and scatter over chopped chives.  Put the flan on a baking tray and place in the heated oven.  Bake for about 20 minutes; the custard should be set in the middle and the top lightly browned.  Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into 6 portions. Eat hot or cold with new potatoes and a salad.

Ideas for different fillings (use the same eggs and milk custard part of the recipe and cook any vegetables. The salmon should be cooked or smoked).
Asparagus and onion
Cheese, tomato and onion
Salmon and broccoli
Roast vegetables and cheese

Rita