11/11/11

Zucchini-feta pie

Last week I celebrated my birthday. My friends gave me the perfect birthday gift: a giftcard to spent at a kookwinkel (no idea how to properly translate that: a shop for kitchen appliances and tableware and cookbooks etc.).
So I bought Gizzie's Kitchen magic by Gizzi Erskine. A couple of months ago I read an article about this book and attached were two recipes that I really liked. Unfortunately these are also the best recipes from the book; so I am a little disappointed.
However, it contains some useful tips and inspirations. All in all, I am oke with it.
There is a pie recipe in the book with smoked salmon. Below it is a tip for a vegetarian variety with courgette and feta. That sounded nice and I decided to make it but I added some bacon. I must say a very successful pie!

But there pops up a small problem when making a pie: The crust. Pastry not always works for me and I do not like it that much. My mom sometimes makes quiche with puff pastry as a crust. which I like much better. In Gizzi's book there is a recipe for fake puff pastry, which is easier and faster to make than pastry and yields an amazing result. Ofcourse use a ready made crust if you are in a hurry!

Ingredients:

Fake puff pastry:

225 g flour
1/2 tsp salt
170 g unsalted butter
120 ml icecold water

Pie:

1 zucchini, cut into pieces (for my Dutch friends: dit is een courgette)
100 g feta, crumbled
1 red union, cut into wedges
225 g bacon strips
100 ml white wine
150 ml crème fraîche
3 eggs
fresh mint leaves
pepper
salt

The most important thing for the dough is that the butter is cold and the water is cold. I cut the butter through the flour but you can also grate the butter. As long as you work fast so that the butter does not melt. 
Add the water and mix it well. Flour a work surface and dump the dough on it and form it into a ball. 
Roll out the dough into a rectangle and fold 1/3 over the middle and 1/3 over that. 
Cover with foil and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or when needed.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Make sure it is large enough for a 17cm diameter cake tin. Gently push the dough into the form and cut away excess dough.

Preheat the oven to 170°C
Bake bacon strips for 5 minutes on medium heat and add the red union wedges. Bake for another 5 minutes. Let it cool a bit.
Divide the zucchini over the pastry. Add the bacon and union and divide the feta over this mixture.
Whisk wine, crème fraîche and eggs together. Add some pepper and salt and some fresh mint leaves. 
Put into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Eat the pie warm or cold!








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