Potato & Courgette Flan

The Great Vegetarian Diet

The best vegetarian diets are diets where you don’t even realise meat is lacking from your diet.  I can go for months, even years without eating meat and not missing it because my vegetarian food is just so good and full of the nutrients I need to get by.  I find that meat eaters are worryingly obsessed with meat to the point that if there is no meat on the dinner table they literally freak out.  It is hilarious to watch, it’s like they are about to break out in hives or suffer serious palpitations if they are not allowed to exercise their canivorism.  It is okay to not eat meat.  Just try some of my delicious vegetarian recipes and see for yourself that you can have a lovely meal without meat.  So step out of your comfort zone and explore new ways of incorporating vegetables into your diet.  I used wholemeal flour to make the pastry from scratch, I really though it added a greater level of depth for my flan.  I used minimal seasoning and served this dish with a light salad.  It is excellent for a starter, lunch or a simple light meal.

This recipe was adapted from The Dairy Book of Family Cookery (Ebury Press, 1983).

Ingredients:

225g wholemeal flour, pinch of salt, 100g butter (chilled and cubed), 450g potatoes (peeled and diced), 225g courgettes (finely chopped), 1 small onion (skinned and sliced), freshly ground black pepper, 2 eggs, 300ml milk, 150g cheddar cheese (grated), a small handful of cherry tomatoes (quartered).

Method:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.
2. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add 3 tbsps chilled water, mix until the the flour begins to stick together.
4. Collect the dough mixture together to form a ball.
5. Knead lightly for a few seconds to give a firm smooth dough.
6. Wrap in cling film and leave in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
7. Roll out on a lightly floured surface.
8. Line a 10 inch flan dish.
9. Bake blind in the oven for 20 minutes.
10. Cook the potato until tender in a saucepan of boiling water.
11. Drain.
12. In a frying pan gently fry the onion with the courgettes until soft.
13. Place the vegetables in the flan case.
14. Beat together the eggs, milk and cheese.
15. Pour over the filling and then scatter the tomatoes on the top.
16. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes.