The light eggplant quiche is the lighter version of the classic savory pie: normally, shortcrust pastry includes a (sometimes significant) amount of butter, but in this version, the shell of our quiche does not include it and is based on a less refined flour.
The advantages are twofold: not only will the savory pie be lighter (thanks to the modest amount of oil), but it will also be more filling (thanks to the unrefined flour). The recipe for this fantastic (similar) shortcrust pastry is by Marco Bianchi.
All without sacrificing taste!
For the filling, I used a mix of eggplants, eggs, and cherry tomatoes, but you can obviously customize it according to your taste (I assure you, though, that the one I chose is very good).
If you also want to try this recipe, follow me in the kitchen, and let’s prepare the light eggplant quiche together!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups type 2 flour ((or type 1 flour))
- 2/3 cups extra virgin olive oil (plus an additional tablespoon for cooking the eggplants)
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 eggplant
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 1/2 oz ricotta
- 1/2 clove garlic
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Baking pan (8 inches in diameter)
- 1 Frying pan (d. 8 inches – non-stick with lid)
- Parchment paper
- 1 Rolling pin
Steps
The preparation is very simple!
In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda, and sprinkle the baking soda with lemon juice: you will see that the baking soda reacts with the lemon juice.
Add the oil and the first 1/3 cup of water and start kneading, first with a fork and then with your hands.
Add the remaining water only if necessary: you need to obtain a dough that can be worked with your hands and is not grainy.
Form a dough ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes (Marco Bianchi suggests an hour, but I let it rest for a few minutes, and the result was perfect).
While the dough rests, in a frying pan, put a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and half a clove of garlic.
Add the eggplants cut into cubes and the cherry tomatoes cut into quarters, salt, and cook for about ten minutes: add half a glass of water if necessary.
Preheat the oven to static mode at 356°F.
When the eggplants and cherry tomatoes are cooked, remove the half clove of garlic, let the vegetables cool, and in another bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
Add the ricotta, eggplants, and Parmesan cheese and mix well.
Roll out the (similar) shortcrust pastry using a rolling pin and some flour and using two sheets of parchment paper.
Transfer the rolled-out pastry to a round baking pan 9.5 inches in diameter and pour in the vegetable and ricotta mixture.
Level the filling and, when the oven reaches temperature, bake your light eggplant quiche for about 40-45 minutes.
Storage
The quiche can be stored in the refrigerator for two days. It is freezable (I recommend doing so after it has cooled completely and after slicing it) and is reheatable in the microwave after thawing (45 seconds at 800W).
