Tag: vegetariano

Zucchini and Feta Quiche

22 October 2026

A few weeks ago we saw a quiche with rolled up zucchini. Beautiful! An additional benefit from rolling up the zucchini is that its taste is more present in the quiche, compared to adding (round) slices of zucchini to the filling. The recipe was published (in German) by Amalie. She bases her recipe on one by Geraldine.

Feta is a white, brined cheese made in Greece, from sheep’s milk, or a blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk. Feta is salty, crumbly and tangy. It doesn’t completely melt, which is great when using it in a pie. Feta is essential when making a Greek salad or Spanakopita. It combines very well with olives, olive oil and oregano.

Zucchini is used in Greece for various dishes, for instance zucchini chips (thinly sliced zucchini, coated with a thin batter, and then fried) and zucchini fritters (made with grated zucchini and feta)

Combining zucchini, feta and fresh oregano makes a lot of sense. The aromatic character of fresh oregano goes very well with the sweetness and light bitterness of the zucchini. Feta’s saltiness and sharpness is balanced with oregano’s hint of earthiness, pepper and citrus.

Drink Pairing

Serve as a starter with a glass of unoaked, fresh and fruity white wine. We enjoyed a Pinot Grigio made by Tenute SalvaTerra in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica region, north of Verona.

What You Need
  • For the Pastry (15 cm or 6 in springform cake tin)
    • 100 grams of Flour
    • 50 grams of Water
    • 10 grams of Olive Oil
    • 1 teaspoon of fresh Oregano
    • 1 gram of Salt
  • For the Filling
    • 1 organic Zucchini
    • 125 grams of Feta
    • 2 organic Eggs
    • 50 grams Double Cream
    • 30 grams of Crème Fraîche
    • 1 teaspoon (or more!) of fresh Oregano
    • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Combine flour, oregano and salt
  2. Add water and olive oil
  3. Kneed for a minute or so and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
  4. Preheat your oven to 180˚ C or 355˚ F
  5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface
  6. Coat a 15 cm or 6 inch round springform cake tin with oil
  7. Place the dough in the baking form
  8. Use a fork to make small holes in the pastry
  9. Line the pastry with parchment paper or aluminium foil, add baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Best is to use the second level of the oven rack, so just below the central one
  10. Remove the beans and the paper or foil
  11. Leave the pie shell in the oven for 5 minutes
  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
  13. Wash the zucchini
  14. Use a kitchen knife to slice into thin ribbons
  15. Crumble some feta on each zucchini ribbon, add a touch of black pepper and roll it up
  16. Arrange the zucchini rolls in the blind baked pie-shell
  17. Combine eggs, cream, crème fraîche and oregano
  18. Pour the mixture over the zucchini, making sure it’s evenly distributed
  19. Transfer to the oven for 30-40 minutes on 180˚ C or 355˚ F, same level as earlier
  20. Immediately after having removed the pie from the oven, brush the outside with olive oil. This will intensify the colour of the pastry
  21. Let cool and enjoy lukewarm (65˚ C or 150˚ F)
Zucchini and Feta Quiche ©cadwu with lots of fresh oregano, creamn and eggs and with a quick pastry
Zucchini and Feta Quiche ©cadwu

Mushroom Balls

6 March 2025

We were asked to prepare a vegetarian main dish for a buffet style dinner. We immediately knew what we wanted to cook: mushroom balls and oven baked vegetables. Tasty and colourful. Could we make it gluten free? Which in this case means not adding breadcrumbs to the mushroom mixture, so we needed to think about an alternative. We tried well cooked rice, but that didn’t do the trick. Next idea was to blender the rice and make a very sticky paste. It did what we hoped it would do: the mushrooms balls are firm, but not dense. Great! Plus, they go very well with the vegetables!

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of French Malbec with the Mushroom Balls. In general you’re looking for a long, full bodied red wine, smooth, with hints of berries and ripe dark fruit.

What You Need
  • 25 grams of dried Porcini
  • 150 grams of fresh Mushrooms (Button Mushrooms, Shiitake)
  • 1 Shallot
  • 2 cloves of Garlic
  • 1 sprig of fresh Oregano
  • 2 sprigs of Thyme
  • 1 sprig of Rosemary
  • 1 sprig of Sage
  • 40 grams of Rice
  • ½ beaten Egg
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Boil the rice in water (with a pinch of salt) or in vegetable stock for 40 minutes. The rice should be thoroughly cooked.
  2. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and check for sand.
  3. Chop the shallot and fry in oil until translucent.
  4. Clean the fresh mushrooms, chop, add to the pan and fry on a higher heat.
  5. When the mushrooms are somewhat fried, add the chopped garlic for five minutes. Be careful not to colour the garlic.
  6. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool.
  7. Chop the soaked mushrooms. Add to the mixture.
  8. Use a kitchen knife to chop all herbs and then add these to the mixture.
  9. Blender half of the rice until it’s a sticky paste.
  10. Add remaining rice, paste and a relatively large amount of pepper to the mixture.
  11. Beat ½ egg and grate a generous amount of Parmesan Cheese.
  12. Add cheese and egg to the mixture.
  13. Pulse with a blender. The mixture should have granularity.
  14. Taste and add pepper and/or Parmesan if necessary.
  15. Allow the mixture to cool and transfer to the refrigerator.
  16. Preheat the oven to 180 °C or 355 °F.
  17. Use your hands to make balls, line a rack with baking paper and place the balls on the paper.
  18. Bake for 15-25 minutes until the balls are slightly coloured and firm.
  19. Allow to cool and leave for a few hours at room temperature.
  20. Preheat oven to 160 °C or 320 °F.
  21. Bake mixed, chopped vegetables (beetroot, parsnips, sweet potato, potato, butternut squash, parsley root, kohlrabi) by placing them in a large oven dish with plenty of olive oil and sprigs of rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram in the oven for 20 minutes under aluminium foil at 160 °C or 320 °F and then 15-20 minutes at 180 °C or 355 °F without foil.
  22. Warm the mushroom balls in the oven in a separate oven dish.
  23. Combine just before serving.
  24. If gluten are okay, use half the rice (no need to make the sticky paste) and add breadcrumbs. The mixture will firmer and drier, so perhaps use 1 egg.
PS

This recipe is for two. The picture shows the result of the recipe times 2.

 
Mushroom Balls ©cadwu
Mushroom Balls ©cadwu