This quiche is inspired on the famous pizzoccheri della Valtellina. As it happens with omelettes and soups, quiches are also an excellent tool to take advantage of vegetables or other ingredients that always remain at the bottom of the refrigerator. And combining them with a little care, we can have amazing results.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
80 g buckwheat flour
20 g of wheat flour
50 ml of water
25 gr of butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
200 g of Casera, Bito, Fontina or similar cheese
200 g of peeled potatoes
200 g of collard greens or chard
1 egg
100 g lean quark (or cream)
Salt and pepper to taste
A little grated cheese (Grana, Parmesan, etc.)
This quiche or crostata is made with practically the same ingredients used for the pizzoccheri della Valtellina recipe, which is why it is ideal for taking advantage of leftovers if we have prepared them previously. Collard or chard are interchangeable, both are the two most used greens in this preparation, but we can also use kale or spinach if not available.
Pizzoccheri are a type of pasta made from buckwheat flour. That is why the dough for this quiche is not prepared with the usual wheat flour. A small proportion of this one is added to make kneading easier and to integrate more easily.
To obtain the dough, mix the flours with the water, butter and salt in a bowl until combined. Knead for a few minutes until obtaining a smooth ball. Cover and reserve.
Meanwhile, peel and chop potatoes, discard the core of the cabbage and cut the leaves into bite-size pieces. Boil everything in salted water until tender (about 10-12 minutes). Set the vegetables and allow them to cool. Press to get rid of the largest amount of accumulated liquid. This step is important, otherwise too much water would drain onto the wuiche base and the dough would not be cooked properly.
Mix the vegetables in a bowl with the diced cheese, the beaten egg and the quark (or cream). Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. At this point, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Flour a work surface. Spread the dough with a rolling pin (or pressing with your hands) until you get a thin disk, enough to cover a mold about 28cm in diameter. Distribute the filling evenly and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Bake at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes or until a nice golden brown color is seen on top.
Tips and tricks:
- Fill the quiche only when the oven is preheated and just before starting baking. The reason is to prevent the moisture of the filling from being in contact with the dough for too long.
- The Italian term “crostata” refers generically to any sweet or savory tart prepared with a flat dough or pâte brisée. Not to be confused with “costata”, which refers to a steak with bone.
- Valtellina is a region in North-East of Italy. The recipe uses many of their typical products, including Casera cheese. If it is difficult to obtain, replace it with a semi-hard cheese like Fontina.