Hello from sunny Rabat dear friends! How have you been? I’ve just had the best couple of weeks. It started in Rabat, then I went to Casablanca for work and finally Mexico via London just for fun AND food. As you can guess, I am now back in Rabat for a quick stop to see the family again, eat more food and do some prop shopping at el oulja.

But first, let’s talk about all the food I ate in Mexico. The way I would proceed was pretty simple: every single time I saw something on the menu that I didn’t know or understand, I would order it. I discovered wonderful dishes like tamales, esquiles, pozole and chilaquiles. I have to say I also tried the best mole, huevos rancheros and tacos el pastor. I tried to take as many stories as I could for Instagram but the food was so good, I had no patience for pictures.

I am currently at my parents’, where we have just had lunch. The menu was, some charcoal grilled kefta and beef kebab, Chlada mechouia, zaalouk, and a super refreshing tomato and cucumber salad. Obviously this was all mopped up with plenty of my mom’s homemade khobz. Simple food, big flavours.

And now let’s discuss these baby quiches, can I call them, quichetette? The filling is super straightforward. It’s basically kefta to which I added plenty of Swiss chard and a bit of thickening agents to solidify the filling. I love kefta, and Swiss chard is the perfect cooked green you could couple it with! The filling is extremely tasty and comforting, feel free to use it for other recipes such as hand pies or briouate. Obviously, the goat cheese and harissa sauce isn’t mandatory but it’s worth it if you want to spice up your baby quiche. Enjoy!

Kefta and Swiss Chard Quiche + Harissa and Goat Cheese Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Makes 4 x 12 cm or 1 x 24 cm sized quiche

300g minced beef and/or lamb
1 medium onion, grated
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Leaves of 2 mint sprigs, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
300g Swiss chard, stalks removed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons milk, any type
1 ½ tablespoon plain flour
320g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry sheet
Salad leaves, to serve

Goat cheese and harissa sauce

50g soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon harissa or to taste
2 tablespoons milk or more

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F).

• In a large bowl, combine together the meat, onion, coriander, parsley, mint, paprika, cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Use your hands or a large spoon to incorporate the meat, the onion, the herbs and the spices together.

• Warm up a large pan over medium heat and melt ½ tablespoon butter. Add in the kefta and cook until the meat is brown, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. This will take about 7 minutes. Throw in the Swiss chard and mix with the kefta. Cover with a lid and leave until the Swiss chard is tender, about 7 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. Then, add the milk and cook stirring until thickened. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary. Set aside.

• Unroll your pastry dough on a floured worktop and carefully place it inside your pie dish or dishes. Tuck the dough in with your fingers inside the dish and use a rolling pin to trim the extra dough. If you make small quiches press the remains of the dough back together, flatten the dough with a rolling-pin and use it to make more quiches. Fill the pie dish or dishes with the kefta and Swiss chard mixture and place in the warm oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the pastry is golden and fully cooked.

• Meanwhile, prepare the goat cheese and harissa sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients in a food processor and run until smooth. If you’d like a runnier sauce, add more milk.

• Serve warm with the goat cheese and harissa sauce and a green salad.