Mushroom, cheese and basil Quiche

Quiche sounds extremely fancy and bourgeoisie, don't get frightened by the name. In India Aloo Patties smeared with Dalda is a common snack. So quiche is a french version of that. Actually if truth be told, the idea of patties which is nothing but pastry,has its origin from Europe. Enough of the rant on food and globalization, here is the recipe. 

What you need:

For the pastry:

180 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting

90 gm chilled salted amul butter, cut into cubes

3-4 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

4 eggs

250 ml fresh amul cream

10-12 button mushrooms, sliced finely

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced finely

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced finely

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced finely

1 small onion, chopped

Chopped fresh basil

7-8 cloves of garlic, crushed

Paneer/cottage cheese, 150 gm, cut into small cubes 

Chilli flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

Dried oregano

Processed cheese, 125 gm approx.

Salt to taste

1. First make the pastry: tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add  butter and rub in gently with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 3 tablespoons cold water until the pastry comes together in a ball. Don't knead a lot. 

2 .Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use it to line two 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed flan tin. Ideally, use a fluted tin. Trim the overhanging pastry. 

3. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220˚C. Prick the pastry case all over with a fork, to prevent air bubbles forming during baking. Line the base and sides with baking parchment/white paper and weigh it down with baking beans (i used some ground nuts and rajma). Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake the empty case for a further 10 minutes, or until the base is lightly browned. Keep the pastry aside to cool. 

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 180˚C. Saute onions, bell peppers, mushrooms in butter and garlic paste on a high flame. Keep it aside. 

5. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and cream together. Add chopped basil, freshly ground pepper, chilli flakes, oregano, salt to the eggs and cream mixture. 

6. Its time to assemble now. Get the pastry, start with putting the veggies first. Arrange some cottage cheese cubes on top of the saute'ed veggies. Sprinkle shredded cheese and pour the eggs and cream mixture on top of this. Make sure you don't spill and divide the mixture in two equal portions. Bake in a preheated oven of 180 deg cel for 25-30 minutes.