A delicious savoury dish that can be served warm or cold for lunch, dinner or as part of a picnic. This recipe can also be adapted to use up whatever vegetables you have left in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
225 g plain flour
56 g butter
56 g lard
Pinch of salt
Cold water
For the filling:
1/2 medium butternut squash, diced
2 small red onions, 1 diced and 1 sliced into rings
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
4 eggs
3/4 pint full fat milk or cream
170 g mature cheddar, grated
Few chives, chopped
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat your oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5.
- Grease a 9” fluted, loose bottom flan dish.
- Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
- Add the diced butter and lard, rub fat into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add a little water and bring together to form a ball.
- Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, roll the pastry out and blind bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry begins to dry out.
- In a frying pan sweat the diced onion and squash in a little vegetable oil for 5 minutes, add the peppers and continue to cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the squash begins to soften. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs with the milk or cream and season well.
- Sprinkle the pastry case with half of the cheddar cheese before adding the vegetable mixture.
- Pour in the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese, red onion rings and chopped chives.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture has set and is a golden brown colour.
Alternative fillings:
Blue cheese, caramelised onion and leek
Goats cheese, courgette and thyme
Asparagus, smoked salmon and feta
Serves 6.