Easy roast vegetable and ricotta quiche

2010-04-09 14:42:19

Serves: 6
Difficulty level: Easy
Time: 1 hour 10 min

TO DRINK: Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir 2008, with touches of spice, dark berries and an extremely elegant finish.

Ingredients:

ROAST VEGETABLES
500g butternut, cubed
380g baby marrows, thickly sliced
450g button mushrooms, cut in quarters
45ml (3 tbsp) fresh thyme, stalks removed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
20ml (4 tsp) butter
45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 sheets phyllo pastry
45ml (3 tbsp) butter, melted
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
300g fresh ricotta
250ml (1 cup) fresh cream
watercress, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. For the roast vegetables, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss together well. Transfer to a roasting tray and bake until the water has evaporated, about 45 minutes.
3. Remove the vegetables from the oven when done. Melt the butter and 30ml of the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Mix this into the roast vegetables.
4. Grease the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform cake tin with the remaining oil. Layer the phyllo sheets in the tin, brushing with the melted butter between each sheet.
5. Beat the eggs, ricotta and cream until smooth. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the phyllo case and pour over the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake until the pie is set, about 1 hour. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes so that the top browns, but keep your eye on it as the phyllo tends to burn quickly.
6. Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Turn out onto a serving platter and serve topped with watercress.