Vegetarian Quiche

I realise I've posted a number of vegetarian quiche recipes over the years, but since I always use a slightly different recipe, I like to add them here as a reminder to myself. This time I made a slightly healthier crust and added a mushroom, zucchini, spinach and cherry tomato filling. Using halloumi instead of cheddar gave the quiche a nice flavour and texture.

Vegetarian Quiche

Crust

250g wholemeal flour

pinch of salt

60ml vegetable oil

125ml cold water

Filling

oil, for frying

about 250g mixed mushrooms (button, oyster, shitake), sliced

2 zucchinis, sliced

150g baby spinach

dried oregano, to taste

tamari, to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder*

black pepper, to taste

1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

125g halloumi cheese, grated

3 eggs

200ml full cream milk

* I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Vegan Bouillon Powder (Reduced Salt)

1. Preheat the oven to 175C. 

2. Grease a pie dish (25cm) and set aside. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add oil and water and stir to combine. Knead to make a smooth dough, transfer the dough into the pie dish and spread evenly on the bottom and the sides of the dish. Prick with a fork and bake for about 10 minutes.

3. In the mean time, prepare the filling. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan, add sliced mushrooms and zucchinis and cook for a couple of minutes. Season with oregano, tamari, vegetable stock powder and pepper. Add spinach and cook for a further few minutes until all the vegetables are tender. 

4. Remove the crust from the oven, add the filling and scatter the tomatoes on top. Spread the cheese evenly on top of the filling. Break the eggs in a small bowl and whisk in milk. Pour the mixture evenly on top of the filling. Continue to bake for about 40 minutes or until the quiche seems set and the top has browned.

Synttärileivokset - Birthday Cakes

We celebrated husband's birthday today with these little cakes. A simple Swiss roll filled with raspberry and apple jam, topped with vanilla flavoured cream and fresh strawberries. Perfect treat to end an unforgettable day.

Birthday Cakes

(makes about 10 individual cakes)

3 large or 4 small eggs

85g (raw) caster sugar

30g plain flour

35g potato flour*

1 teaspoon baking powder

150-200g raspberries

1 apple, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons (raw) caster sugar

300ml cream

pure ground vanilla

1 tablespoon (raw) caster sugar

fresh strawberries

*In Australia, potato starch is sold as potato flour. Available at Coles and most speciality stores. 

1. Preheat the oven to 225C and line a cookie tray (15cm x 10cm) with baking paper.

2. Beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and gently add them through a sieve. Fold to combine. Pour the batter onto the tray and bake for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown.

3. Place a clean sheet of baking paper on the kitchen bench and sprinkle the paper with sugar. Turn the baked cake onto the paper and peel off the paper. 

4. Combine raspberries, apple and sugar and sieve to get rid of excess liquid. Spread the jam onto the cake, then roll tightly (using the paper) leaving the seam underneath. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or two. 

5. Flavour the cream with vanilla and sugar and whip to soft peaks. Cut the roll to pieces and top each piece with cream and strawberries. Serve immediately. The roll can be frozen (filled, not topped).

Ruisleipäset - Small Rye Bread

To be honest, I get quite fed up with the bread selection at the supermarkets and most bakeries here in Australia. It's mostly sliced bread (toast) or white bread rolls and loafs that is on offer. There are wholemeal varieties available, but I am not too fond of the taste of commercial bread. It often has a distinctive flavour (raising agent, perhaps) and it doesn't have the proper bread texture I am used to. Any rye bread available tends to be the German type, which is often quite dense.

Hence, every now and again, I resort to baking my own rye bread. Fortunately most health food stores in Sydney carry rye flour and you may be able to buy fresh yeast from some smaller bakeries. I do prefer fresh yeast, but dry yeast works ok too.

The bread I made this time is very simple and reminds me of the rye bread I had in Finland. It is mostly rye, but has some wheat flour mixed in for a softer texture. Treacle (dark syrup) and salt are the only flavouring it needs. Served with a slice of cheese or melted butter, it was a much needed hearty breakfast on a slow Saturday morning.

Small Rye Bread

(Makes about 20)

(Recipe adapted from here)

500ml warm water (42C)

220g rye flour

10g dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon treacle (dark syrup)

165g rye flour (+50g)

130g plain wheat flour

1. Mix the yeast with flour, then stir with water. Leave, covered, for half an hour.

2. Add salt and treacle and add the flour, stirring continuously. Turn the dough to a floured surface and lightly knead to form a soft dough. You may need to incorporate an extra 50g flour here. Divide the dough into equal sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Transfer the portions to baking sheets lined with baking paper. Flatten each ball to a disk, about 2 cm thick, and prick with a fork. Cover the sheets with clean tea towels and leave to rise well. 

3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Sprinkle the bread with little water just before baking. Bake the breads for about 10 minutes or until the base has browned and sounds 'hollow' when tapped. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a tea towel, before serving.

Kerroskiisseli - Vanilla and Berry Kissel

It took me years of living in Australia to realise something about Finnish desserts: they are generally not very sweet. Take our traditional birthday cake, for instance. It is not covered in sheets of sugary fondant and most of the sweetness actually comes from the fruit the cake is filled and topped with. Even our beloved mocha slice (Finnish equivalent to a brownie) isn't overly sweet and the most well-known Finnish treat of them all, korvapuusti, would probably be classified as bread in some countries.

Then there is kiisseli (kissel, a jelly-like pudding), one of the most versatile every-day desserts served all over Finland. Kiisseli is almost like a sweet soup, but thicker. It has a jelly-like consistency, but it's not as thick as jelly, just somewhere in between. You can use pretty much any fruit or berry (dried, frozen or fresh) you happen to have at hand; frozen berries, apples, oranges, rhubarb, you name it. There is even a chocolate version which is like a light and guilt-free version of chocolate mousse. You can have kissel as a warm soup or a cool dessert, which ever you prefer. This is the dessert to make when you're too lazy to go to the store or bake, and you will most likely have all the ingredients already at home.

This rainy day called for a kerroskiisseli (layered kissel): thick vanilla flavoured milk kissel topped with slightly sour raspberry and blueberry kissel. It was the perfect quick treat to whip up.

Kerroskiisseli

(serves 2-4)

Milk Kissel

600ml milk (organic, full cream)

35g potato flour*

2 tablespoons raw caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure ground vanilla or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and place on a medium heat. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens, do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Berry Kissel

200-300g frozen berries

600ml water

3 tablespoons raw caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure ground vanilla

100ml cold water

2 1/2 tablespoons potato flour*

1. Bring 400ml water, berries, sugar and vanilla to boil. Add rest of the water to cool down the mixture. 

2. Mix water and potato flour in a separate jug. Whisk this mixture with the rest of the ingredients and turn off the heat. Leave to cool before serving. 

3. Layer the cooled down kissel in a glass or a bowl and serve.

* In Australia potato starch is sold as potato flour. It is available at most speciality stores, but also at Coles (look for it at the health foods department).

Friday Cuppa

A cup of tea at my desk on a Friday afternoon. Sorry for the absence and silence here on the blog, I have had a lot on my mind lately and things are about to get a whole lot busier. I will try to update again soon to tell you more!

Have a nice weekend!