Serves 4
Good for: A quick evening meal, a crowd-pleasing antipasto, or a perfect picnic
Time needed: 25 mins prep + 30 mins in the oven
Faff factor: Low
Here’s the story: Cooking is a major passion for the women in our family, and it is not uncommon for us to share recipes with our aunts, grandmothers, and cousins. This particular recipe comes from our aunt Donatella, a fantastic cook whose attention to detail and creativity make her one of the best chefs in the family. This is one of our go-to recipes when we have a crowd to feed and very little time (or space).
Ingredients:
1 roll chilled puff pastry
2 large aubergines
2 cloves of garlic
100g mildly matured cheese (the original calls for Tilsit, but here in the UK go for a mild cheddar)
2 eggs
2 ripe tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Oregano
Method:
Step 1: Take out a large, shallow cake tin (we usually keep large round foil ones at hand, but rectangular ones work too) and roll out your pastry. Lay it onto your cake tin, and loosely prick the base with a fork.
Step 2: Move on to your aubergines. Wash them and cut off the ends, and halve them lengthways. Take each half and chop roughly – your cubes should be small but don’t have to be perfectly symmetrical. Over a medium flame, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and, after about 30 seconds, toss in the cloves of garlic. Move the pan around and place back on the flame. Once the heavenly aroma of garlic starts to waft up, toss in your aubergine cubes. Make sure they all get coated by the oil, and add salt, pepper and oregano. Make sure to shake them around every so often with a wooden spoon or spatula, and cook for around 15 minutes, or until they’re translucent and have reduced in size by about a third. Taste them frequently and adjust the salt and pepper.
Step 3: While the aubergines are cooking, chop the cheddar into rough, 1cm cubes. When the aubergines are cooked, turn off the heat and add the cheese, stirring constantly. The cheese should melt into the aubergines immediately.
Step 4: Add the eggs and carefully mix into your cheese and aubergines. You should end up with a gloriously gloopy mess, ready to be tipped into your waiting pastry case.
Step 5: Tip the mixture into the pastry case and level with a spoon. Cut your tomatoes into semi-circle slices and place them on top of your quiche, starting from the centre, in a “crown” pattern (see photo).
Step 6: Cook for half an hour in a pre-heated oven at 180°C, or until your pastry is golden brown and the tomatoes on top have withered slightly.
Let the quiche cool slightly before slicing and serving alongside a colourful salad, or slice into cubes and serve as an aperitivo with cocktails.
Coz’s tip: Accompany with my favourite side salad: toss together some rocket leaves, sliced and peeled oranges, and some thinly cut fennel with good extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
Giulia’s tip: Make some extra to bring into work the next day!
Food Actually 