Roasted Sweet Potato, Chorizo and Chard Quiche with a Gluten-Free Benefit

If you have gluten-free friends coming for dinner this holiday season, here is a treat for them. And for you. The pastry for this quiche is made with roasted sweet potato and rice flour. The sweet potato is baked to give you some sizzle: chili flakes, coriander, and cumin.

The filling is chorizo married with onion and chard. You’ll probably want to apply the goat cheese option. Is there anything that can top melted goat cheese?

This dish can be your main event or a lovely opening appetizer at your cocktail bar. Or a side dish to render those pork or lamb chops even more succulent.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Chorizo and Chard Quiche

Yield: serves 6

Ingredients:

Equipment:

1 9-inch loose-bottomed deep round tart tin

For the sweet potato base:

1 pound 2 ounces sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces rice flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 medium egg, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, deseeded and thickly sliced
1 orange pepper, deseeded and thickly sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
4 ounces chorizo sausage, diced
4 ounces chard or spinach leaves, roughly chopped
2 medium eggs
2 medium egg yolks
7 ounces unsweetened soya cream (or milk if you can’t find the cream)
5 ounces soft creamy goat’s cheese (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut a circle of non-stick baking paper about 11 inches in diameter and use to line the base and sides of the tart tin.

Toss the sweet potato with the chili flakes, ground spices and the olive oil in a bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter evenly over a baking tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Meanwhile, turn the oven down to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 5.

When the potato is cool, mash 300g of it (reserve the rest for the filling) with a potato masher in a bowl, or use a food processor for a finer texture. Add the rice flour, xanthan gum and beaten egg and mix to form a dough, or add them to the food processor and pulse until the ingredients come together. The dough should be soft but not sticky, so add a tablespoon of water if it’s too dry or a little flour if it’s too sticky. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and place in the fridge to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. (The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but you may need to roll it in some flour if it has become sticky.)

For the filling, toss the peppers in a tablespoon of the olive oil in a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until they have just caught around the edges. Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes or until the onion is softened and has a golden tinge. Add half the chorizo (reserve the rest to scatter over the top of the quiche) and fry for 1 minute. Add the chard (or spinach), cover and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until just wilted. Leave to cool.

Let a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into a circle about 1/10 of an inch thick — yes, thin. Roll it out using a lightly floured surface, using rice flour. Carefully place on the base of the tart tin and line, making sure the edges of the pastry stand just a little proud above the rim, then trim away any excess.

Crack the whole eggs into a bowl, add the egg yolks and soya cream and season with salt and pepper. Given ingredients a really good stir to make sure they are evenly mixed together.

Scatter the chorizo and chard mixture over the dough base, top with the reserved roasted sweet potato and peppers and pour over the egg mixture. Top with the reserved chorizo and the goat cheese in pieces (if using). Place on the hot baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin to serve.