Aubergine here is absolutely wonderful. It melts in the mouth, tasting a bit like luxury porcini mushrooms. Its secret is to cook the aubergine first in LOTS of olive oil and then bake it even longer in a quiche custard. It’s accompanied by a flaky, buttery crust and a whole parade of sharp ingredients in the filling: hot chili flakes, crisp red onion, and salty feta cheese.
Aubergine Quiche with Chili, Red Onion, and Feta
20 cm (8-inch) deep pie dish
Crust
1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons starch (cornmeal or potato)
½ teaspoon salt
120 g cold butter, cubed
1 egg
Filling
⅓ cup (70 ml) olive oil
1 medium aubergine, sliced and cut in half-moons
½ teaspoon chili flakes
100 g feta cheese
3 eggs
2 eggs yolks
½ cup (150 g) Greek yogurt
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, sliced
salt, freshly ground black pepper
1. Place the flour, cornmeal, salt, and butter in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub together until pea-sized crumbles form. Add the egg, stir until the dough forms. Briefly knead until smooth. Form into a disk. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 23 cm (9-inch) round. Transfer to the pie dish. Pick up edges and allow the dough to slump down into the dish, letting excess dough hang over the dish. Trim the excess edges. Prick the bottom with a fork. Chill 30 minutes until firm.
3. Preheat the oven to 190 C (375 F). Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 160 C (325 F).
4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium. Add the chili flakes and aubergine. Cook 6 – 8 minutes until soft, golden brown and completely soaked with the olive oil (don’t think about it!). Drain over a paper towel. Season with a large pinch of salt. Transfer the aubergine with feta and onion to the crust.
5. Beat the eggs and eggs yolks until fluffy. Stir in the yogurt and cream. Add a pinch of salt and garlic. Pour into the crust. Bake the quiche until filling is set and slightly puffed around the edges and the crust is golden brown, about 60 minutes. Transfer the quiche to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
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Yours,
Rozkoszny
