Mushroom Tomato Quiche - Rustic and Hearty

Having lived in Delhi for many years I miss a proper winter in Kolkata. The cold mornings making it impossible to get out of bed..still dragging oneself out to attend a class while in college or reporting at work later..those are my fondest memories of Delhi winters. Ofcourse there was the food...tucking into creamy sarson saag with crispy makki roti at a neighbourhood dhaba, those were the days. Endless cups of coffee and a hot water bag to keep me warm was what winter was all about.
Here in Kolkata I miss all that. The weather has just got a bit nippy here and everyday I pray that let it get a little more colder here. Winter also means whipping up hearty rustic dishes in my kitchen using freshest of winter produce. Been wanting to make a quiche for sometime and today seemed the perfect opportunity. Kept it simple and baked a delicious Mushroom Tomato Quiche and indulgently topped it up with some grated parmesan.

 

Ingredients:

For the pastry dough:

Flour - 1 cup

Butter - 50 gms - chilled

Egg - 1 lightly beaten

Salt - 1 tsp

For the filling:

Mushroom - 1 cup - thinly sliced

Onion  - 1 medium - finely chopped

Garlic - 2-3 pods - crushed

Cherry tomatoes - a few - halved

Egg - 2 -lightly beaten

Cream - 1 cup - I used Amul

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Oregano - 1 tbsp.

Chilli flakes - half a tsp

Grated Parmesan cheese - a handful

Method:

The pastry dough:

Mix the flour, salt and the chilled cubes of butter with a fork or using your fingers until mixed well and resembles breadcrumbs. Now put in the beaten egg and make into a soft dough.

Wrap the dough with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 20 mins.

Making the pie crust:

Roll the dough on a well floured board into a circle,rolling from the centre to the edge,turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half,place in a pie pan and unfold to fit the pan.
Pierce the covered pie pan with a fork to avoid the pie crust from flaking up while blind baking.

Bake the crust in a preheated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 10 to 15 mins till lightly golden in colour.

Making the filling:

In a pan heat the olive oil. Add the crushed garlic and sautee till light brown. Add the onion and let it sweat for 5 mins. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook till  done. It will realease a lot of water...cook till that evaporates. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and chilli flakes.

Remove from heat and let this mixture cool down.
In a bowl add together the eggs and the cream. Season with salt and pepper and mix together with the mushroom mixture.

Pour this mixture into the half- baked pie crust. Top with cherry tomatoes and a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 20- 25 mins.

Serve hot.

 

Motorshutir Kochuri & Aloo Dum - A Quintessential Winter Breakfast Dish

Come winter and there is an array of green vegetables around you. Of all the winter veggies green peas are my favourite. So much so that a bowlful of boiled peas with a dash of butter,salt and pepper would make my day. Sadly the boys in my house especially the husband is totally averse to it. But us women always find a way to camouflage things in food. If I could have my way I would add a handful of peas in everything - even the everyday dal. Well since I don't have my way I try and make this particular dish - Motorshutir Kochuri very regularly every winter and I don't know how or why the husband eats it too. This dish is very popular in most bengali households during winters and even if not making at home can be easily procured from the neighbourhood sweet shops. It is traditionally served with aloo dum - a spicy potato curry.

Today I was very pleasantly surprised when my 6 year old brat wanted to taste some and ended up eating two kochuris which is a big thing for me. So here's my recipe of Motorshutir Kochuri - Deep fried flatbread with a peas filling served with some Aloo Dum - spicy potato dry curry

Ingredients for the Kochuri /Flatbread

For the filling:

Green peas/Motor shuti or Korai shuti - 1 cup 

Green chilli - 1 nos - adjust acc to taste

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida /Hing - 1 tsp

Fennel powder /Saunf powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - a pinch

Refined oil - 1 tsp + enough to fry the kochuris/pooris

For the kochuri /flat bread: Note - Traditionally kochuri is made only with flour/maida but I use half wheat flour for health reasons.

Wheat flour /Atta - 1 cup

Flour - 1 cup

Salt - 1 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Mix everything together and make into a dough - like one makes for rotis /parathas - cover with a damp cloth and keep aside.

Ingredients for Aloo dum/spicy potato curry:

Potatoes - 2 medium - boiled and cut into cubes

Onion paste - 2 tbsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Tomato puree - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Mustard oil - 1 tbsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tbsp - Just dry grind together some green cardamom ,cloves and cinnamon for this.

Fresh coriander - a handful chopped

Method to make kochuris:

Put all the ingredients listed under filling except the oil and asafoetida in a grinder and grind to a smooth paste.

In a pan heat the oil , once hot add the asafoetida/hing. Next tip in the grounded pea mixture and fry well till the mix becomes dry and has no moisture in it.

Take it off heat and keep aside to cool down.
Now to make the kochuris. Take the dough and make little balls out of it. Roll it out a little bit on a flat surface and add a tsp if the peas filling that we made.

 
Very gently gather the sides and make into a ball. Flatten it out and roll into a puri /flatbread. It will be a little thick and not as thin as a poori or paratha.
In another kadhai , heat enough oil to fry the kochuris. Once hot , add the kochuris to the hot oil and fry till nice golden brown on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a tissue paper.

Method to make Aloo dum:

In a pan heat 1 tbsp mustard oil. Once the oil has reached its smoking point ,turn down the heat and add the garam masala powder. Next add the onion and ginger paste and fry till nice golden brown in colour.
Once that is done , add the boiled and cubed potatoes, dry spices and the tomato puree and mix it well. Fry for 2 mins and then add half a cup of warm water. Cover and let it cook till the water has dried up. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve the kochuris and aloo dum and enjoy a lovely breakfast.