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Fennel and Red Onion Quiche

Right, let me first set one thing straight: yes, I’ve just returned from a trip to China, and yes, I haven’t posted any Chinese food-related post yet. But it will come. Don’t worry. I just haven’t had the time to sort through my China pics yet, nor to make any Chinese food. This quiche was made and photographed before my China escapade, so please be patient dear friends, it will come.

Anyway, over to this week’s recipe – a good old European quiche!

So, is there anything nicer than a good old Quiche? So simple to make, so versatile in its toppings, and it can be eaten hot or cold? The perfect treat for the current picnic season!

I like classic quiches, like quiche Lorraine (with cheese and bacon), courgette quiche or mediterranean quiches, but I also love playing with more unusual combinations. For this quiche, I thought I’d come up with an interesting vegetarian option. I normally don’t cook with fennel, but have been willing to do so for ages. When you cook fennel, it actually loses its sharp liquorice flavour and becomes very subtle – that’s why I’ve added fennel seeds to the quiche to complement the fennel and give it a little boost. Chili adds a kick, then there’s the melting red onion and creamy goats cheese – all rounded off by some spicy tarragon. Lovely!

What I particularly like about quiches is that they are a very quick standby meal – that is if you use ready-made pastry. It’s obviously not as amazing as home-made pastry, but I think that a good quality ready-made shortcrust pastry really can do the job. For these quiches I didn’t have the time to make my own pastry, but if you feel like making everything yourself, you can make these little tarts with my polenta pastry.

June 3, 2011
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