I enjoy making quiches but, shame on me, it has been pointed out that there isn’t a single recipe for a quiche in The Allotment Kitchen. All sorts of things can go into a quiche and, to be fair, I do give the recipe for the best ever quiche pastry.

A Very Good Pastry for Quiches

Which pastry to make for a quiche is very much a personal choice. At the moment this is my favourite. Inspiration came from Elizabeth David’s recipe for Tarte à L’Onion in French Provincial Cooking.

250g plain flour
125g butter, chilled
1 egg yolk
Chilled water
Pinch of salt

Put the flour in a large bowl and add the butter cut into smallish chunks and a pinch of salt. Working with light fingers, mix the butter into the flour. Add the egg yolk and a tablespoon or two of the chilled water, enough to form a dough. The flour will leave the sides of the bowl. Press gently into a ball. It doesn’t have to be perfect as lumps of butter should still be obvious.

Place the dough on a lightly floured board and, with the heel of your hand, form it into a very rough pastry. Gather it up and repeat the process. Gather it up again and form the dough into a ball. Wrap in cling film and store in the fridge for at least an hour before use.

Just today I am making a colourful Swiss chard quiche but the choice of quiche fillings is infinite.

For a family-sized quiche (four servings), I would make pastry with 200g plain flour and 100g butter. There may still be pastry left over but this can be used to make cheese straws or olive biscuits.

Have the pastry in the fridge before you turn to the filling.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
A handful Swiss chard, leaves and stalks
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
Small handful mint leaves, taken from the stem and chopped
Small handful parsley, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
75g pecorino cheese, finely grated
100ml single cream
3 eggs and 1 extra egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cherry tomatoes, halved

In a large frying pan, on a medium heat, cook the onion. When it begins to soften, add the celery and cook for a few minutes. Finely chop the chard stalks (use a very sharp knife to ensure clean cuts) and add these to the pan. Continue to cook gently until the celery is soft.

Slice the chard leaves into fine strips and add these to the pan together with the garlic and herbs. Leave to cook gently for 10 minutes, then take the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Place the eggs and cream into a large pastry bowl. Beat lightly and stir in the cheese. Season.

Lightly grease the quiche dish and roll out the pastry as thinly as you dare. Using the rolling pin, pick up the pastry and place it over the dish. Gently press it into the dish with your fingers. Let the pastry overlap the sides.

Stir the chard mixture into the eggs and carefully turn it into the pastry case. Place the tomatoes on top and, using a knife, trim the edges of the pastry.

Put the quiche onto a baking tray and bake at 185°C for about 30 minutes. Test the centre of the quiche with the point of a sharp knife. It should only just be set.

Serve warm or tepid. Perfect with a salad and crusty bread.

I like to use pecorino cheese but Parmesan, Gruyère or Comté would be fine and some of the cream could be replaced with ricotta. Feta cheese could also be crumbled on top.