Recipe: Chorizo & Red Pepper Quick-Quiche

I had a craving for a quiche a few weeks back, which considering I’ve never really eaten it was pretty odd. With some filo pastry needing to be used up and plenty of eggs, I took one look at the price of ready-made quiche and promptly set about creating a recipe. I used this one for inspiration, but pretty much made it up as I went along…with damn tasty results!

This was great warm for a light dinner, but then kept beautifully in the fridge for packed lunches over the following days. The pastry wasn’t as crisp but it made a change from my usual sandwiches or soup. The chorzo keeps this interesting, the feta adding creaminess, and the red peppers just break it all up to stop it being too rich. Definitely my perfect quiche.

Ingredients

• Half a pack of filo pastry (six sheets)
• 1 tub of low fat cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• Around 100g of chorizo, chopped
• 1 roasted red pepper
• A handful of feta cheese

Fry the chorizo over a low heat, in a dry pan. Drain onto a piece of kitchen towel to remove excess oil, and mix with the pepper.

Make the pastry case. I didn’t realize how much oil is needed to cook filo pastry – this is by no means a low fat recipe! Brush a sandwich tin with oil, place in a filo sheet. Brush with oil, add another sheet, repeat until done. Scrunch the edges in to make the sides thicker.

Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl, then beat in the eggs. Season, before stirring through the chorizo, pepper and half of the feta. Pour into the pastry case, top with remaining feta and bake at 180C for around 25 minutes – until the top is set and golden. Let cool slightly before slicing.

I found this perfect served with a simple green salad dressed with lemon juice, and sprinkled with a few seeds for added crunch. It would be perfect for a picnic or party too – and I’m tempted to use the filling recipe to make a crustless breakfast version. Yum!

What’s your favorite picnic food?