Whole wheat flour and olive oil quiche - to the changes.

(Em português)

In the next posts, probably I'll increase the quantity of all natural food lunches.

I'm making an effort to improve eating habits, and this quiche was the first attempt.

I was successful!

I took the recipe from here, and made up the filling, based in a couple of recipes I read.

Whole wheat flour and olive oil quiche

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 100% coarse whole wheat flour, but you could use fine whole wheat, mix in a bit of all purpose, there's a lot of possibilities)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil (or another vegetable oil you prefer, if it can stand heat)

1/2 cup cold water

(Cup measure: 240ml)

In a bowl, I mixed the flour and salt, then added the water and oil, stirring with a fork until all of the liquid was absorbed. I kneaded for a few minutes (with one hand, in the bowl itself) just until could form a ball with the dough.

It's important not to overknead tart and biscuit doughs, because the more you knead, more the gluten develops, and it makes the dough elastic. In the case of a bread, that's great, but with quiche/tart/biscuit, that are made to be crunchy, this elasticity is bad, making them chewy and weird.

Anyway, as soon as you can form a ball with the dough, is time to shape it in the pan.

Clotilde says you should open the dough on a counter, using the rolling pin, and transfer it to the pan.

I have done that, and I have also shaped it pushing the dough against the pan (+- 28cm diameter).

Both methods worked great.

So I covered it in plastic and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I prepared the filling. Basically it's 3/4 cup crumbled ricotta or other white cheese + 1 egg + a hint of salt and black pepper. I mix it all in a bowl and it's done.

If the filling comes out too dry, I pour in some milk.

You could add almost anything to flavor that filling: shredded of chopped vegetables, curry, chopped fresh herbs, nuts, another kind of cheese, ham, whatever.

I preheated the oven to 180o, pricked the bottom of the dough with a fork, and blind baked for 15 minutes. I took it out, poured in the filling, garnished half of the quiche with carrots and tomatoes (for myself), and the other half with sliced turkey breast (for the boyfriend). I baked for 15 minutes more and served.

The quiche was quite crunchy and yummy. I'd say it serves 3 or 4 people, with a nice side salad.