Cooking Corner Vegetable main dish which are easily made
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from March 1981.
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To cut down on last-minute preparation, make the crust and freeze it, and make the filling and refrigerate it in a plastic bag.
The custard goes together so quickly it really isn't worthwhile to pre-mix the ingredients.
The original recipe called for 35 minutes baking time, but in testing the recipe, we found it took an hour. This is adapted from Reader's Digest "Creative Cooking" cookbook. CARROT QUICHE
The Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 Ib. butter
1 egg
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 egg yolk The Filling
4 to 5 carrots, finely shredded. Boiling salted water
4 tbsps. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of marjoram or oregano no. 2 tbsps. chopped parsley
Dijon mustard
Squeeze of lemon juice
4 tbsps. grated Parmesan cheese The Custard
3 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1½ tsp. salt
Pinch of nutmeg To make the shell, sift the flour and salt onto a board or into a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the butter, cut into very small pieces, and the whole egg beaten with the one tablespoon lemon juice.
Work the mixture thoroughly with the fingertips until the butter is incorporated and the dough stiff. Add a few tablespoons of cold water, if necessary, to hold the dough together. Form it into a ball wrap it in wax paper and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out and use it to line a 9-inch pie pan. Do not stretch the dough. The easiest way to transfer it to the pan is to loosely roll it onto a floured rolling pin. Unroll the dough over the pan and press it gently to the sides without stretching it. Trim the dough about 1 inch wider than the edge of the pan.
Because custard mixtures rise in baking, it's a good idea to build up the rim. Fold the overhanging dough under and pinch it to form a rim, fluting it between your thumb and forefinger if desired.
Line the dough with a piece of foil and weigh it down with dried beans or rice and bake it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. The beans or rice keep the dough from puffing.
Remove the beans and brush the inside of the shell with the beaten egg yolk and bake it three minutes longer to prevent a soggy crust. Cool it slightly before filling.
The Filling: Blanch the carrots in boiling salted water for one minute. Drain them thoroughly and mix them with the melted butter, salt, marjoram or oregano and parsley. Set it aside.
To make the custard, beat the yolks with the whole eggs and blend in the cream, salt and nutmeg.
Brush the baked quiche shell with Dijon and spread the carrot filling evenly over the bottom of the crust. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the filling and top it with the Parmesan.
Pour in the custard and bake the quiche at 350 degrees for about one hour. Check it after 35 minutes. The quiche is done when it is golden brown on top and puffy. Makes six to eight servings. Be sure to drain the vegetables for this quiche thoroughly, or the custard won't firm properly. Blotting the vegetables between paper toweling will prevent this problem.
These recipes are from the Chicago Sun-Times. CHEDDAR QUICHE 2 cups (8 ozs.) shredded Cheddar cheese ½ cup cauliflower, cooked, drained, patted dry with a paper towel and cut into small pieces
½ cup peas and carrots, cooked and well-drained.
3 tbsps. flour 1/2 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. oregano
⅛ tsp. garlic powder
⅛ tsp. pepper
1 9-inch pastry shell
1 tbsp. butter
½ cup chopped onion
1¼ cups milk
3 eggs, beaten Combine the cheese, vegetables, flour and seasonings and toss them lightly. Place the cheese mixture in the bottom of the pastry shell.
Melt the butter in a small skillet and saute the onion until it is tender, about five minutes. Sprinkle the onion over the cheese mixture. Combine the milk and eggs and pour them over the cheese mixture.
Bake the quiche at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let it stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves six.
A crustless quiche requires a filling made firm with eggs, light cream, Swiss cheese and a bit of flour.
In this quiche, precooked broccoli spears are placed on top, where they'll look appealing with a cluster of tomato wedges.
SWISS QUICHE
4 eggs
3 tbsps. flour
½ tsp. oregano ½ tsp. pepper
1½ cups half and half
2 cups (8 ozs.) shredded Swiss cheese
¼ cup sliced scallion
¼ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1 pkg. (10 ozs.) frozen roccoli spears
1 tbsp. butter
1 small tomato, cut into wedges
Parsley
Combine the eggs, flour and seasonings in a small mixing bowl and beat the mixture until it is well blended. Stir in the half and half. Add the cheese, scallion and olives and mix them well.
Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and bake it at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the center comes out clean. Let the pie cool 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the broccoli according to the package directions, draining it well (fresh broccoli can be substituted). Toss the broccoli with the butter until the butter is melted. Set the broccoli aside, keeping it warm.
To serve, arrange the broccoli in spoke fashion on top of the pie. Place the tomato wedges and parsley in center. Serve immediately. Serves six.
