Mushroom and Basil Quiche with Shortcrust Pastry

Amazing Rains in Mumbai and since ganpathi ji is around something amazing to eat in veg was our target. So for tonight's dinner Mushroom and Basil Quiche from my kitchen :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• ½ cup  butter
• 2 to 4 tablespoons chilled water (add little by little)
• 250g sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 bunch of basil finely chopped
• 2 sticks of thyme
• Salt for taste
• Red Paprika for seasoning
• Oregano for Seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 100ml milk
• pinch garlic powder (optional)
• grated cheese and paprika (optional) to sprinkle on top

Method

• In a large mixing bowl weigh out the flour and the butter (chilled straight from fridge preferably from a block).
• Add in the processor with dough mixer and continue until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add a little of the chilled water (no more than 2 teaspoons) to the flour/butter mix. Keep adding water a little at a time until pastry just begins to bind together.
• Remove from processor .If you can make one big ball out of the pastry then you have added enough water, but if it won't bind into a single ball add just a little water until it will. The ball should still feel fairly dry and will probably have lots of cracks on the surface but as long as it's sticking together that's okay.
• Put pastry into fridge to chill.
• Put oven on to pre-heat to 220 C.
• In a deep pan boil mushrooms and squeeze excess water from it.
• Heat olive oil in a pan and add onion and garlic until just cooked through. Then add boiled mushroom, salt, thyme and red paprika.
• Grease your flan tin (if using) or get foil trays ready, retrieve pastry from fridge while veg is cooking.
• Roll out pastry to 3mm (1/8 in) thick, fold over rolling pin to lift it over the flan dish.
• Press pastry into flan dish with back of your index finger. Prick bottom with a fork and trim off excess pastry.
• Add baking beans to pastry case(s) and blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove pastry cases from oven when light golden brown and firm to touch.
• Turn oven temperature down to 200 C.
• Measure out milk into a jug and break two eggs into it. Beat hard with a hand wisk until light and bubbly. Add garlic powder, if using.
• Add cooked veg mixture in the baked pastry and over it add chopped Basil Leaves.
• Carefully pour egg/milk mix over the veg. Make sure that you don't over fill the pastry case(s).
• Grate just enough of the cheese of your choice to lightly cover the surface of quiche(s) and sprinkle over them. Sprinkle a little paprika over the quiche(s) for colour.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the custard mix feels firm.