Courgette, Radish & Kohlrabi Pickle with Spring Quiche
As soon as the first asparagus appears I jump on it and consume as much as possible during the short 8 week season. It’s partly the delicate flavour which I find slightly addictive, partly the firm texture and the way it goes SO well with ingredients like ham, egg and cheese – but I’m sure my fascination owes a lot to novelty. I know that once the season is over, I can’t eat these delicious spears again until next year. Have you ever tried out of season, imported aspragus? It’s a load of rubbish. Asparagus from Peru? What?!
I’ve been lovingly gazing at the new quiche dish since I bought it, patiently waiting for the asparagus to appear. I bought the dish a few weeks ago in a charity shop, for a few pounds. Bargain. I buy a lot of my dishes in charity shops actually – you have to be in the mood though, it’s quite a skill rummaging through all the stuff you (really) don’t want just to find that diamond in the rough. I have the whole process down to a fine art now. It’s akin to the Londoner travelling mentality, which, if you are not familiar, involves every man and woman for themselves. Well, we’re not all like that of course, but there is an element of it in every Londoner – you know it’s true! It’s just that some of us can still manage to turn the corners of our mouths upwards into a SMILE and others have fogotten the art. Some of us can also manage to be polite and considerate, but now I’m sounding preachy so I’m going to stop.
So, quiche. I used pancetta in this one, together with some melting Gruyere, sautéed shallots and vibrant radish and pea shoots. Everything is held together with an unctuous dairy mix and finished with a fine grating of fabulous pecorino, a gift from a friend recently back from Italy. This pecorino is strong and studded with peppercorns.
I wanted something to cut through the richness of the quiche and thought this might be a good time to make my entry for Pixie and Rosie’s new event, ‘Putting Up‘. My entry is basically a variation on a previous pickle recipe that I loved so much I couldn’t wait to make again. I’ve just adapted it to the season. So, here we have a courgette, radish and kohlrabi pickle. It’s slightly mustardy and sweet-sour with cider vinegar and a touch of sugar. Its like a variation on Italian pickled veggies. It gave me an excuse to break out the Kilner jars again after last years chutney and pickled onions. I also used a good pinch of the ‘long peppers’ I bought at The Real Food Festival, crushed in the pestle and mortar but you can easily leave them out.
They have a sour taste and are quite different to a regular black peppercorn, fragrant and strong. I’ve mentioned before that they are catkins, isn’t that cool? The pickle will keep for months in the fridge – at least I think it will but I don’t anticipate it lasting that long.
Courgette, Radish and Kohlrabi Pickle
600ml cider vinegar
100g sugar
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1.5 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1.5 tablespoons salt
20 red radishes
3 medium courgettes
2 small kohlrabi
1 very small onion
1 small sprig of dill, finely chopped
2 regular kilner-type jars or alternatives, sterilised (to sterilise your jars, wash them in hot soapy water and then rinse under very hot water. Put into a preheated oven (140C/275F/Gas 1 – minus any rubber seals – for 10 minutes).
- Cut all the vegetables into strips by hand, with a julienne peeler or using a grater.
- Put the veg in a large bowl, add the salt and cover with cold water. Stir to dissolve the salt and leave for around an hour or so. Drain the veg and pat them dry.
- Put the dill, vinegar, sugar, mustard and mustard seed into a saucepan and gently heat to a simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes and then cool until warm.
- Pour the liquid over the vegetables then decant everything into jars. Refrigerate.
Spring Quiche
Short crust pastry (I used ready-rolled, shocking! And I can’t remember how much I used, it was enough to line a 10″ quiche dish – sorry)
150g pancetta, cubed
13 asparagus spears, trimmed (hold at each end, bend gently until they snap, discard the woody end)
2 largeish shallots, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
A small handful of radish shoots and the same of pea shoots. You could substitute any leafy shoots here, or peas.
A small handful of chives, chopped
150ml milk
150ml double cream
3 large eggs
100g Gruyere cheese, grated
A grating of parmesan (optional)
A 10″ quiche or flan dish
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
- Roll out the pastry to cover the dish and carefully line it, patching up any holes, even the smallest, really well.
- Line the pastry with baking paper or foil and fill with baking beans, uncooked pulses or uncooked rice.
- Cook, middle shelf for 15 minutes. Remove, take out the paper and baking beans and prick all over the bottom with a fork. Cook 10 minutes more and allow to cool while you make the filling. turn the oven up to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
- Fry the shallots with the pancetta in a dry pan for a few minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds or so to soften, be careful not to burn.
- Mix the milk, cream, eggs and chives together with some black pepper (no salt, the pancetta is salty).
- Add the pancetta and shallot mixture to the pastry case and spread evenly. Sprinkle the shoots on top and then the cheese. Pour over the egg mix and arrange the asparagus on top, pushing down slightly to nestle them in. Grate some parmesan over if using.
- Cook, middle shelf for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and just set in the centre.
Category: Blogging Events, Eggs, Lunchbox, Main Dishes, Meat, Pastries, Pickles, Snacks, Vegetables 26 comments »
May 4th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Beautiful quiche! Great idea about using radish and pea shoots! I have never tried them before.
Capers are one of my favourive ingredient for quiche and you might try them also. They give a really nice quick, cutting through the rich filling.
May 4th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
The quiche ingredients would make a great pizza too…beautiful.
May 4th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Both these dishes look just fantastic. I’m intrigued by the long peppers; never seen anything like that before.
May 4th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
that looks awesome! it looks so fresh and delicious — and i agree that it would make a great pizza too!
May 5th, 2008 at 2:03 am
OMG, you really do make the most gorgeous food! And I’m totally jealous of the lovely ingredients you have to play with, especially those long peppers which I’ve been looking for for 3 years — I need them for an Okinawan mochi. I was also drooling over the cheeses you brought back from the festival — I do miss raw milk cheese! I hope you have fun making your own preserved lemons, but I warn you that it can become quite addictive having them around! ; P
May 5th, 2008 at 3:24 am
what a beautiful looking quiche – not only does asparagus taste good but it is so photogenic! Makes me long for spring. Sounds like a wonderful dinner!
May 5th, 2008 at 3:35 am
You my friend are a maestro! Seriously great pickle…I envisage it being crisp, crunchy with the right amount of “bite”. And the quiche looks might swell too. Asparagus is always a fave during its very short season.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:01 am
I’ve yet to come across such long peppers before; wow, Helen you certainly do know your ingredients well! I’m guilty of having bought asparagus from Peru- hey, I’m seriously new to learning about what’s in season and have been learning so much since starting the food blog. Hopefully, I’ll get it all together by next year.
This is such a wonderful and unique entry for the event. Thank you so much for taking part!
May 5th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Vanilla – Pea shoots are so delicious, like the tastes of peas (!) but much fresher. I do like the idea of capers in a quiche, I use them in frittatas quite a lot so it seems like a logical step!
Peter – What a great idea!
Kalyn – Me too, I couldn’t resist them!
Katy – Thanks, it’s a great idea to make pizza isn’t it?
Manju – I bought my peppers at the food festival but I know you can also buy them online. I’ll be in touch about them.
Johanna – It does a love a picture!
Peter G – You are always so kind!
Pixie – Well, I try to experiment but I’m by now means an expert or anything. I didn’t mean to make anyone feel bad about the asparagus either, it’s not like I haven’t done it myself! You won’t believe the difference though…I’m really looking forward to the round up.
May 5th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
helen! you’ve outdone yourself here. this is so lovely. and i absolutely adore how seasonal it is too. beautiful job, as always. and you added gruyere – one of my favorite melting cheese!
May 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
This looks great. I’ve developed a taste for quiche over the last couple of years, and this looks like just the thing for a spring brunch or get-together.
I like the pickle recipe too! I’ve never tried to make my own pickles, but you make it look a lot less scary.
May 5th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I love quiche! you did an amazing job with yours. Looks really beautiful and appetizing!
May 5th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
That looks amazing, i love the presentation!
May 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
what a flavorful looking quiche, really lovely! now that it’s finally spring again, a delish quiche sounds perfect!
May 6th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
We are never full – You can’t go wrong with a bit of Gruyere! And yes, I like to keep things seasonal.
Fearless Kitchen – Making your own pickles is so easy, give it a go. This recipe is about as easy as it gets. Pickled onions though, are a lot more work. You need to peel them first and the whole process takes a couple of days. Build up to that one!
Farida – Quiche rocks!
Jessica – Thank you, I’m still drooling over your crumpets
Mimi – Thank you. The sun has finally come out!
May 7th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
A stunning photo! Can’t wait to try it out.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Here at our house, we eat asparagus, strawberries, strawberries, asparagus….can’t get enough. Asparagus are good until 15 June here in France, then we’ll be waiting for a year! So this quiche looks delicious…!
ronell
May 8th, 2008 at 11:44 am
That quiche is just gorgeous, Helen. Asparagus is starting to dwindle here in California, so I’d better hurry!
May 8th, 2008 at 11:53 am
YUM! Love your quiche! I wonder why do people in Britain say courgette (the French word) while Americans say zucchini (as in Italian)… Both mean little squash in any case
What about some lemon juice poured in just before serving?
And I didn’t know about Peruvian asparagus, but believe me, I lived in Chile and in the mediterranean Chilean countryside asparagus grow woderfully! And they are so inexpensive, because they just grow!
May 8th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
That quiche looks delicious and I really like the up close photos you got! And I hear you on asparagus…I was delighted that it came in season, hastily bought up a bunch, and then found out my wife doesn’t like it…?!?!?
May 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am
That quiche looks really good! The pickled radish sounds interesting.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Brilliant Helen. I love asparagus too and share your enthusiasm. Kolrabi too, I got some last week in my organic bag and roasted half for a Sunday lunch. The other half I shredded and mixed with vinegar, oil, lemon and herbs. The result? SUPERB!
Cheers
Dave x
May 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Seriously gorgeous quiche! I’m now cursing the stupid lunch I just ate.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:15 am
http://thecheftablelife.blogspot.com/
or
http://topchefseason4.blogspot.com/
May 16th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Wow! This quiche is absolutely beautiful. Of course I’d skip the meat, but the asparagus and the shoots sound great!
July 20th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Like a pizza?