Beetroot, Kale, Goat Cheese & Hazelnut Quiche

This quiche is one I have been making for years! It’s my absolute favourite way to eat beetroot. The crust is delicate, crunchy and crumbly and the filling is a delightful mix of sweet, slightly tangy beetroot, caramelised onion and kale, with dollops of creamy goat cheese and toasty, crunchy hazelnuts. It all marries together so perfectly! We simply cut it into quarters and have a nice, big wedge as our entire meal. However, you could also serve it alongside a salad, on the table at a dinner party or take it to a picnic. It is surprisingly even more delicious eaten the following day when cold! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Serves 4 as a main, or 8 as part of a share table or picnic

Pastry:

1 cup buckwheat flour

¾ cup almond meal

¼ cup tapioca flour (also known as ‘arrowroot’)

½ cup olive oil

1 ½ - 2 tbsp. iced water

Filling:

2 medium beetroots

1 small red onion

5-6 large kale leaves

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. honey

Salt and pepper

6 pastured eggs

80g goat cheese

½ cup hazelnuts

1.     Preheat the oven to 180C and place the whole, unpeeled beetroots in to bake for 1 hour.

2.     Meanwhile, to make the pastry, combine the buckwheat flour, almond meal and tapioca flour together in a medium bowl, stirring to combine. Then add the olive oil and use a knife in a cutting motion until the mixture starts to come together. Add the iced water and use your hands to mix and slightly knead the mixture together in the bowl – it should begin to form a dough-like texture now.

3.     Lightly oil a tart tin (I use a loose bottom 20cm tart tin), or line it with baking paper if it isn’t non-stick. Begin by pressing the mixture up the sides of the tin and then press the mixture evenly over the bottom.

4.     Place the tart shell into the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.

5.     Meanwhile, halve and peel the onion and slice it thinly. Place it into a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, cooking over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until beginning to soften and caramelise.

6.     Remove the stems from the kale and finely slice it before adding it to the pan with the onion. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir until the kale is just wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.

7.     Now you can also prepare the hazelnuts by halving them or roughly chopping them and you can whisk the 6 eggs.

8.     When the beetroots are done, carefully remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.

9.     Add the tart base to the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes or until beginning to brown just slightly.

10.  Peel and roughly chop the beetroots and add them to a food processor with the red wine vinegar, honey and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Blend/pulse until it resembles a coarse puree.

11.  When the pastry shell is out of the oven, begin by layering a small amount of the beetroot over the bottom, then add a layer of the kale mixture. Continue alternating until you have used all of both mixtures.

12.  Carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling, ensuring you pour all over the tart, rather than just in one place (it may overflow and not spread evenly as the filling is quite dense). Sprinkle over little knobs of the goat cheese and then the chopped hazelnuts. Place into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through with a slight rise, and when the hazelnuts are lightly toasted.  

13.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it and slicing it. Enjoy!

Note: This tart tastes even better the next day when eaten cold!