This dairy free variation of a quiche is a good way to use up all sorts of things. You could substitute silverbeet, onions, peppers, mushrooms, chicken or cheese in any combination and change the herbs to suit. I try to stick to just three main fillings - in this case bacon, leek and tomato. You could add it to a lunch box or take it on a picnic. I had mine warm for lunch with a salad and left the rest in the fridge for a late supper. It’s just as easy to double the quantities, make two and freeze one after it’s cool.
Two tablespoons olive oil
Three sheets of filo pastry
One large leek, washed carefully and finely sliced
100g bacon or ham, diced
Large bunch of parsley and chives, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Three eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
One large tomato, sliced
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Brush a flan dish with a little of the oil. Use two of the sheets of filo pastry to line the dish. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and gently fry the leek and bacon until softenened and starting to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Beat the eggs together with the mustard and herbs and add to the pan. Stir to combine. Pour into the lined flan dish, top with the tomato slices and remaining sheet of filo pastry. Brush with oil and bake for about 25 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and eating.
I make my leek and potato soup heavy on the potatoes. You could chill it in summer and call it ‘vichyssoise’. The leeks have grown all through the summer - planting them close together makes them slim, sweet and tender. They’ll keep through the winter in the garden before going to seed once it warms up in the spring. If you’ve got enough leeks you could also make cheesy leek and potato flan.
I’ve still got enough pumpkins stored for pumpkin and coconut soup. Read more
Cheese and potato has always been a winning combination for me. The addition of some sweet, young leeks makes it even more so. In spring you can substitute asparagus for the leeks. This recipe made a couple of flans - one for now and one for the freezer. It would be a welcome addition to a winter lunch box. I served it for lunch with pumpkin and coconut soup and coleslaw. I used only three sheets of pastry between the two tarts as that was all I had left from making hare wellington. If you want it to be a bit more structurally robust, use a couple more sheets of pastry for a thicker crust.
I used leeks about 1cm in diameter although larger ones would be fine. You need to slit them nearly down to the root, fan the leaves and wash them thoroughly, holding them upside down under running water to remove any dirt.
three or more sheets filo pastry
600g potatoes (peeled weight), cut into chunks
400g leeks, sliced lengthways and chopped into lengths to fit your dish (or a bunch of asparagus)
150g grated cheese
2 large free range eggs
100ml cream
lots of freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper, a knob of butter
Grease two small or one large shallow, ovenproof dish with a scrap of butter. Line with the filo pastry to come about 2cm up the sides - at least three sheets thick in most places. Filo pastry is very forgiving if you have to cut and paste pieces to fit your dish.
Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water until tender. When nearly done, add the leeks to the pan and bring back to the boil for a few minutes, until the leeks soften.
Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees C.
Drain the vegetables and set the leeks aside. Return the potatoes to the pan with the cheese. Mash together. Break the eggs into a bowl and stir in the cream. Add to the egg mixture to the mashed potato, grate in plenty of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well before pouring into the prepared filo pastry case(s). Arrange the leeks over the top and brush with a little melted butter. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to stand for at least ten minutes before serving.
