This is a scrumptious, but healthy version of a traditional flan (similar to a quiche). It tastes great at room temperature so it’s perfect for packed lunches.
Curried courgette flan
Ingredients
- For the flan case, you have three options: buy a ready-made pastry case; buy ready-made pastry and roll it out to fit your tin; or make your usual shortcrust pastry
- 2 onions, thinly sliced in half-moons
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 courgettes, sliced into ½ cm circles
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150ml half-fat crème fraîche
- Sprinkle black onion seeds
- 1tsp curry powder
- Sprinkle garam masala
- Olive oil
- Ziplock plastic bag
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- If you are making your own pastry, blind-bake it first, but remove the case after about 7 minutes and brush it with a little of the beaten egg, before returning it to the oven for another 8 minutes or so. If you’re using a ready-made case, brush it with egg and bake it for five minutes. This will form a protective layer, allowing for a crispy base and avoiding the dreaded “soggy bottom”.
- Sauté the onions and garlic gently in a scant amount of olive oil. After 5 minutes, add half the curry powder and stir. The dry powder will potentially catch quickly, so add a splash of water to loosen the mixture and stir. Keep adding water a splash at a time, as needed, until your onions are silky and soft (this should take about 10 minutes).
- Remove the onions from the heat. Turn on the grill.
- Place the courgettes in a ziplock bag with a splash of olive oil, seal the bag and shake to coat the courgettes with oil.
- Grill the courgettes, turning after 5 minutes or so, depending on how quickly they colour; they should be a light golden colour. Remove the courgettes to a plate.
- Place the onions in the base of the flan case and layer the courgettes on top.
- Whisk the crème fraîche together with the eggs and add the rest of the curry powder. Pour the mixture over the courgettes.
- Sprinkle the top of your flan with garam masala and onion seeds, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until set.
- Eat warm with a steaming pile of tenderstem broccoli or cold for lunch.
Siobhan Blunden-Currie is a head of department in a secondary school. She will be providing recipes every Friday for Tes
