… our adorable dog Holly has been out of our lives for nearly 3 years now. There isn’t a day goes by where we don’t think about her in some capacity. In Belleau and the surrounding villages, nearly every household we know has a dog and even in London many of our friends has furry faces of some kind so you’re never far from a bit of dog attention should you need it… we were even on the underground on Thursday evening and a lady of not inconsiderable size squeezed herself onto a very crowded carriage with an equally enormous dog. She sat down next to me and her dog lay outstretched at her (and everyone around us) feet. The lady was slightly barmy, with what I like to think of as a befuddled London gleam in her eye as though getting on the tube at rush-hour with a huge dog is the most natural thing in the world and I love that all of us around her just carried on like it was normal too. There was the odd strange look from a few passengers but frankly both woman and dog were of such alarming stature that you’d probably be just as barmy to have said anything anyway…
… both The Viking and I left the carriage at our stop and I know we were both thinking about Holly and how she loved to travel on the tube and stare her soft doe-eyes at others for the chance of a scratch under the chin or a belly-rub. Of course it’s long weekends such as this when we’re at home for extended periods that I really miss the company of a dog. It’s been a long three years but it’s undeniable that Holly’s passing has given us a freedom we’d never had before and our business has blossomed so it’s unlikely we’d get one any time soon but I have a feeling that we’re both getting broody again and that although it’s remained un-said it’s possible that there may be growing room in our hearts for a furry face once more…
portobello mushroom and kale quiche with cheddar shortcrust
many people will be eating Spring lamb today for lunch and that’s all perfectly good and well, it is Easter Sunday after all and the lamb of God should be on everyone’s minds… everyone except vegetarians that is. This is a robust quiche that feels fresh and ‘season-appropriate’ but also has the meaty bite of the portobello mushroom, it also has lashings of butter which quite frankly makes everything taste beautiful and a little more indulgence today probably shouldn’t kill us… i’ve made a version of this quiche countless times before here on the blog, it’s my mums recipe and her go to ‘family-gathering’ food. Like the brownies I made on Friday, it’s a classic and it works so why mess with it – although the fillings and the pastry additions can be of your choice, I would try and stick to the liquid and egg mix as closely as possible although to be honest you can even swap out the sour cream for cottage cheese or creme fraiche if you’re watching calories…
1 teaspoon sugar
4 large portobello mushrooms – halved and then thickly sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon or regular thyme
100ml soured cream (or cottage cheese / creme fraiche)
i’m using a 25cm, 3cm deep fluted tin with a loose bottom which i’ve greased well
pre-heat the oven to 150C fan
add more butter and olive oil to the pan and add your mushrooms – without wanting to teach you to such eggs, here’s a little mushroom frying tutorial – first have the heat low, add your mushrooms to the pan and shimmy them around until they’re well coated in oil and butter, then leave them alone for as long as possible – on a low heat we’re talking 10 minutes. They should now be soft, so shimmy them around, add the herbs, a little salt and more black pepper than you think you should and turn up the heat… you now want the mushrooms to go a little golden but not burn so i’d say a further 6 minutes till you have the desired colour – halfway through this, add the kale to the top of the mushrooms and let it soften as the mushrooms cook – turn the heat off and let the pan cool on the hob
after 15 mins, remove the pastry and carefully lift out the beans – place the pastry back in the oven for another 5 mins to allow the base to turn golden
place the caramelised onion into the bottom of the pastry case, then add the mushrooms and kale on top – I do this by hand to get an even arrangement and the mushrooms are usually cooler by this time, finally pour the cream egg mix all over and bake on 160C for about 15-20 minutes until golden and risen, set aside on a wire rack to cool. The quiche should easily slide out of the tin.
eat and of course, enjoy and Happy Easter!
Our fur children bring a lot of joy to our lives but my husband and I both agree that one day it would be nice to have the freedom that comes without having any pets. I love this quiche and especially love the sound of the shortcrust pastry. Happy Easter Dom!
Thank you for the mushroom tutorial – that is how I cook mushrooms, but didn't realise it was the right way – they simply tasted better! I'm all for vegetarian options especially with a daughter or two who lean that way naturally. Never made cheese pastry before, so I'm going to try a version of this. Happy Easter Dom.
I adore quiche with mushrooms. And this is a fine-looking quiche Dom. Especially love the use of a cheesy pastry.
It sounds as though Holly was very very special…. She sounds quite a character. Maybe one day you will find an equally adorable fluffy companion.