|
Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2010 14:57:37 GMT
I mentioned elsewhere that I ate this at a family meal last Tuesday, and I asked my second cousin what was in it. She told me the ingredients, and I reconstructed the receipe just from that information and the memory of my palate. And I must admit that the results turned out identical to what I ate the first time, which is extremely rare.
So, here is the recipe for
timbales de courgettes rapées
ingredients (for 4 persons)
2 medium courgettes 1 large onion 2 eggs 1 can of tomato sauce chopped fresh dill corn starch salt & pepper
preparation
Grate the courgettes and the onion. I used the grating disk on my food processor, but it might be prettier if you use a hand grater. The proportion of courgettes to onion should be about 70/30. Pour off excess juice.
Put the grated items in a bowl, add the other ingredients except for the tomato sauce and mix together. The corn starch is just to make the mixture a little bit firmer.
Spoon the mixture into greased individual oven dishes. I need to get something a little deeper, but I used crème brulée dishes, which are wide and rather flat.
Bake in a medium oven for approximately 30 minutes. The contents of the dishes should be firm but not too dry. Let them sit for about 10 minutes before unmolding them. As a precaution, you might want to run a knife around the edges of the cups.
Turn the cups upside down onto the plates and unmold them. I was worried that they might stick, but they did not stick at all.
Pour a bit of warmed tomato sauce over the items to create a harmonious appearance. I found that the contrast of the tomato sauce with the courgette/dill taste was perfect.
It makes an excellent starter and gets rid of nasty courgettes*. I am thinking that it might be possible to vary the herbs (for example chopped basil instead of dill), but I would need to conduct further experiments before serving it to anybody.
* in my opinion, mixing courgettes with onions transforms them into delicious leeks.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Aug 22, 2010 19:17:42 GMT
What a nice way to turn a homely vegetable into a delicious and elegant dish.
I didn't make this today, but I was greatly (not grately, though) inspired by it. I had vast amounts of zucchini which I didn't want to fester in the fridge, and your recipe gave me a good idea.
|
|
|
Post by cristina on Aug 22, 2010 20:24:02 GMT
Kerouac, this sounds very good (and I really like zucchini). I think that I might prefer a topping of a diced tomato and onion salsa though.
Another way to use them that you might like is to mix the grated zucchini and onion with an egg and some romano cheese and seasoned as you like. Dill or oregano are good, I think. Then make them into patties and saute.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Aug 22, 2010 21:04:06 GMT
Inspired by Kerouac's baked grated courgette cups, this is not as elegant, but it's good and lends itself to innovation. The "quiche" of the title is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it's more quiche than casserole. - One-half to a whole large bell pepper or poblano, chopped - Two carrots, chopped - @ a quarter of an onion, chopped - Two large cloves of garlic, minced - @ two pounds of zucchini, chopped - salt & pepper - 2 eggs, beaten with: - milk - cheese of your choice - hot sauce, preferably a thick one - salt & pepper - one piece of bread Saute the pepper in olive oil (+ some hot pepper if you wish) along with the carrots and onion. After a couple of minutes, add the onion, cook some more, then add the garlic and zucchini. Stir it in well and cover until the zucchini is somewhat soft. (not mushy, but more than just steamed) Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the contents into an oiled or Pammed shallow baking dish, then pour the beaten egg mixture over it, moving the bowl around to cover as much of the vegetable mixture as possible. Grate the bread over the top and put it into the oven at 375°F until the top is quite golden and the contents are set. Good either hot or at room temperature.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2010 21:18:39 GMT
Ah, but patties will never be as elegant as perfectly molded cups. Note: one of my pet peeves is being served molded rice with a dish, so I am clearly erratic.
|
|
|
Post by hwinpp on Aug 30, 2010 9:41:53 GMT
That looks lovely. I'm big on quiche myself but before you ask.... I don't have an oven ;D
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Aug 30, 2010 15:22:07 GMT
Thanks, HW. My last house had such deficient wiring that I couldn't use my little electric oven. I "baked" a fair amount of stuff on top of the stove. I'll bet you could make something like this quiche on the stove.
Heat up a skillet with a little oil, then pour the mixture in exactly as you would for putting it in the baking pan. Lower the heat and cover the pan until the mixture is set and presumably browned on the bottom. Put a plate over the pan, then up-end the quiche onto it. Put the skillet back on the fire and sprinkle in some bread crumbs, letting them crisp and brown slightly, then slide the quiche back into the pan so it can continue cooking on the other side. When it's done, you can flip it onto a plate so that the crumbs side is on top, or just serve it directly out of the pan.
|
|
|
Post by hwinpp on Aug 31, 2010 7:58:24 GMT
Sounds doable but all that 'flippin'' and 'turning around' is making my head spin. Maybe I'll just buy one of those little ovens.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2010 8:36:43 GMT
I have lived with a countertop oven since I moved to France, and I think they are great. Personally, I find that the simpler they are, the better. A heat dial and a timer dial are all I need.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Aug 31, 2010 17:14:16 GMT
I could have long since bought a stove with an oven, but have come to prefer having a countertop stove and a separate countertop oven.
Mine came with a rotisserie attachment that I've never used, but I do like that it has a convection option. However, the plainer models are quite adequate as well.
Even though I have very little room in my kitchen, I feel the oven is worthwhile.
|
|
|
Post by Don Cuevas on Aug 31, 2010 17:48:22 GMT
For about 2 1/2 years, I made quiches in a restaurant, 12 per shift. They are the last quiche I ever want to see.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 8, 2010 10:37:29 GMT
Quiche can be a real disappointment if the crust is hard and thick - Bixa's recipe sounds very good and a slice served as a starter would work very well. I would add a kind of tomato chutney on the side with a few mixed green salad leaves.
Kerouac -I love my glass counter-top oven much more than my large thermo-fan one underneath my ceramic stove plates. Last night I roasted a stuffed chicken, six potatoes and three onions in it. (Accompanied by a medley of mixed fresh vegetables and parsely rice, and chicken juis). When our guest came he couldn't believe that a little thing like that did such a wonderful job!
To finish the meal as I had served no starter, I flambayed bananas in Frangelica liquer and butter - served with vanilla ice cream.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2010 17:53:57 GMT
I may be missing the courgette connection, tod.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2010 17:58:03 GMT
No problem!
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 25, 2010 18:12:37 GMT
I made them...the courgette cups - that's why I got mixed up!
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 30, 2010 12:02:03 GMT
Mini Goat's Cheese, Pear & Walnut Quiches.
The Pastry: 100gr (40z) self-raising flour 50gr (2oz) Atora light shredded vegetable suet 2-3 tbsp cold water
The Filling: 1 medium egg, beaten 6 tbsp milk 4 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 200gr (8oz) goat's cheese sliced or crumbled 2 walnuts shelled and chopped - or 4-6 pieces Salt & pepper to taste
You will need: 4 non-stick yorkshire pudding tins or tart cases
Method: Preheat oven to 200C, 400F, Gas 6 - Fan ovens refer to manufacturers instructions - or wing it(?)
Make the pastry by mixing the flour, Atora, salt & pepper. Stir in enough water to bind a firm but not sticky dough. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll out and line pudding tins/cases
To make filling mix together the egg and milk, then season. Pour the mixture evenly into the pastry tins. Decorate with the pear slices and bake for 10 min. Remove from oven and top with goat's chees and walnuts and bake for further 5-10min until golden brown.
Serve with a side green salad as a starter or light lunch
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Oct 30, 2010 14:08:29 GMT
bixa, we need a "quiche and savoury tart/pie" thread. I'm posting a recipe for a lighter kind of tart crust in a separate thread.
Thanks tod, this looks lovely. Goat's cheese and pears are lovely together, and of course walnuts. We don't get vegetable suet though.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Oct 30, 2010 14:22:24 GMT
I'm kicking off this thread with a very handy Yeasted tart dough with Olive Oil, from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The book is from the US, so there are only Fahrenheit and the cup etc measures, but it is very easy to figure out, and someone better at maths than I am can do the metric conversions. I've made this so often that I don't really use measurements except for the yeast. Nor do I necessarily roll out the crust - often I form it as one would a pizza crust, as this is more related to pizza, foccaccia etc. It is closer to the original yeast pastry used for quiche and its cousins.
2 t active dry yeast
1/2 t sugar
1/2 cup warm water (115 degrees)
3 T olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/8 t salt
1 3/4 cups flour, as needed
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a medium bowl and let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add the oil, egg, and salt, then stir in the flour. When the dough is stiff, put it on the counter and knead until it is smooth — about 4 minutes. Add more flour if you need to to keep it from sticking. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, turn it over so it gets coated in the oil, cover with towel and let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes). Turn the dough out, Roll it into a thin circle (about 14 inches).
-------- I knead it a bit more than four minutes - it is hard to over-knead dough by hand. You will have to find the best proportions working with your flour and other ingredients but once you have it down, you can make it without even looking at the recipe. If I'm making a quiche or other tart with egg, I might use just the white, or two whites, saving the yolks for the filling. The egg makes it elastic and it can be used to make empanadas etc. If you are using instant dry yeast, you don't need to add the sugar and can add the yeast to the other dry ingredients. This is much lighter than a short crust made with butter or shortening.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 30, 2010 17:50:54 GMT
Lagatta - Yes, veg suet is an import we rarely see in supermarkets here. It is very expensive but when I see it I buy up 10 packs and throw them in the deepfreeze for use over the next year or so. The recipe was copied staight off the back of the carton which contained the Atora. I intend using the quiche as a starter for a dinner party soon.
|
|
|
Post by Don Cuevas on Nov 1, 2010 13:46:17 GMT
Nor do we get vegetable suet here, as far as I know. What is it, exactly, and how does it differ from vegetable shortening?
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Nov 2, 2010 8:33:21 GMT
Don, I have no idea how it differs to let's say Holsum, which is vegetable shortening used for roasting meat and especially potatoes, except to say you cant roast with Atora. It comes all squeezed into little 'worms' like when stuff comes out of a mincing macine. I use Atora LIGHT. Here is the website copied off the box: www.atora.netYou can also call them on 0845 200 0040 Mon-Fri office hours. Now that may not be a cheap phonecall from where you are ;D
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on May 2, 2015 23:39:32 GMT
A friend made us very happy campers with a meal made mostly of fish and seafood - Nordic shrimp fresh in their shells, home-smoked salmon (another participant brought this) and snow crab legs. He phoned the next day to say he had too many left over, did I want any? So I extracted all the crab meat from the legs and have it in the fridge ready to make a crabmeat quiche tomorrow. Most of the recipes I see contain quite a bit of cheese. I'm not averse to a bit of parmesan or pecorino romano in such a recipe, as a kind of seasoning, but I think a lot of cheese would detract from the "crabbiness". And you? This recipe from NYTimes is an exception: no cheese at all, unless I'm reading wrong (fatigue)... cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12885-crab-meat-quiche
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 3, 2015 2:05:30 GMT
My father's late wife, bless her soul, used to make a quiche-like concoction that involved surimi, shrimp, and a lot of Miracle Whip. I don't know what to call it, but she served it with pride.
Try the crab quiche. With the crab I'd probably try that or pasta. I'd go for parmesan, not pecorino, which is pretty strong-tasting. Let us know how it turns out.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on May 3, 2015 2:17:13 GMT
I actually have a Québec cheese that is goat-milk based but more similar to parmesan. I'm intolerant of cow milk, but such a small amount really doesn't bother me (milk is another story). I make too many things atop pasta. Obviously a salad would be possible, but I'd prefer a cooked dish to take to a friend's house.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 3, 2015 10:54:48 GMT
Just like Texans who say "if it has beans, it isn't chili," I will say "if it has crabmeat, it isn't quiche!"
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on May 3, 2015 12:53:40 GMT
Yes, of course, technically a quiche is the emblematic dish from your region and I'm referring to a "tarte salée". But if I call it a "salty tart", English-speakers will get quite a different image.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 3, 2015 15:44:17 GMT
Oh, I'm just teasing. Since every supermarket or traiteur sells about ten different kinds of things they incorrectly label quiche, I am much less offended than I used to be.
I actually have a package of shredded surimi that I don't know what to do with. I have never bought it shredded before, but I'm thinking it might be a good time to see how it cooks. I don't eat surimi very often, but I have noticed that the quality continues to improve, at least in the taste department, as they find more scrumptious chemicals to mix in with the fish sludge.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on May 3, 2015 17:10:13 GMT
No surimi in my salty tart. Very crabby though. Only a bit of (another weird labelling) "Québec goat parmesan". Obviously real parmesan isn't goat, nor is it from Québec, but the hard cheese is, or was, very good.
I haven't eaten it yet, but it looks very nice. I made a yeasted olive-oil crust as usual.
Although I'm not lorraine, I'd also get very dogmatic about quiche. Where I absolutely put my foot down is "crustless quiche". It isn't exactly a frittata or a (Spanish) tortilla. More a baked omelette than anything else, and the filling has to be more solid than that of a true quiche, lorraine or otherwise.
|
|
|
Post by lugg on May 4, 2015 19:35:34 GMT
Oh to have your dilemma Lagatta - crab is one of my most favourite foods , probably because I get to have it so rarely
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on May 18, 2020 8:52:52 GMT
Oh at last we have finished all the leftovers…..well I've put some into containers for the street kids and will go find some of them later. In the meantime it's that delightful experience of making a whole new dish. With being at home so much I'm sure all of us are reading old recipe books or better still trolling YouTube for something new and exciting. Well, this is not a new dish but a Greek staple. I have never made it and can't think why. So today I'm attempting Spanakopita. Got all the ingredients and aim to make the version using raw spinach but definitely not the quantity!
|
|