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Creamy, savoury, filling, and bursting with deliciousness, this gluten-free vegan asparagus and sun-dried tomato quiche is really easy to make, and perfect for al fresco dining now the warmer weather is upon us!

Did you know that asparagus used to be called ‘sparrow grass‘, and was considered a peasant food?

So many of the high-end foods we now consume were once cheap staples for the masses; oysters, rocket, samphire, wholegrain bread… while today’s staples (e.g. potatoes, cauliflower, white bread, sugar, pepper) were luxury items, and used less as essential sustenance but more as a means of demonstrating one’s wealth to visitors.

Years ago, when I was living in Britain, amato mio and I built, grew, and maintained an early 17th century cottager’s garden within the grounds of a local stately home.

Yep, I made my own reproduction 17th century clothing too! No, my hips and bum are not that big… it’s a bum roll!

Holdenby House, built by Elizabeth I’s Lord Chancellor, and one of the largest, grandest homes in England at the time, later became a residence of Charles I, and it was life during this period of history that we recreated. Or rather, the life of an average, common-or-garden peasant.

Yarp!

We had a replica cruck house, built by a regiment of the English Civil War society, and we grew not only food plants but also those used for dyeing and making medicines.

A simple sallet (salad) made with leaves, flowers, and wild plants.

Any huswife worth her salt in the early modern period would have to known how to grow and prepare food, plus also how to take care of her family’s ailments, and how to dye their clothing in order to ‘refresh’ it. A peasant woman’s petticote (outer skirt) and bodice would most likely have been turned at least once (taken apart, and re-made inside out), and dyed several times, each time darker and darker, in order to not show stains.

At Holdenby, along with growing stuff, we’d give public demonstrations of cooking, and making remedies and dyes. If people were very lucky, they might even see me going about my daily chores, 17th century-style. People would be fascinated to see me using an upright pole to wring out the laundry, which was then spread over lavender bushes to dry in the sun!

They were good times.

Newt Scamander!

This gluten-free vegan asparagus and sun-dried tomato quiche is not something my 17th century self would recognise – not least because unlike today, pie crusts (called ‘coffins’ back then) were merely containers in which you cooked the actual food (e.g. meat). Pastry was also used to seal the oven door. It wasn’t for eating!

Ready to go into the oven!

Fresh out of the oven. Yum!

Fortunately, today we understand how delicious pie crust is, and I must admit that I do love a hearty pie. Making the crust for this quiche with buckwheat and teff flours gives it a great taste, and a lot of bite. It’s a very filling crust, in my opinion, and more satisfying, I think, than one made with white flour.

The basis of the filling is firm silken tofu but if you can only get extra firm, it will work as well – you’ll just need to blend it a little longer, and maybe add a little more cream. If you don’t have non-dairy cream, you could use milk (non-dairy of course!) but will be a little less creamy-tasting. You could also use a tablespoon of cashew cream, which is something I often do but for this recipe, I wanted to keep it nut-free as well as gluten-free.

You can also use whichever veggies you like, as long as they’re not too watery. I use the sun-dried tomatoes to ramp up the flavour, and to give a slightly sweet edge, but you could use fresh ones (de-seeded). Red, orange, and yellow peppers work too.

Or you could just leave them out all together, and have sparrow grass on its own.

Vegan Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

Is…

• full of veggies
• filling
• satisfying
• savoury
• cheesy
• easy to make
• gluten-free
• dairy-free
• nut-free
• packed with protein and fibre
• nutritious (Vitamin A 64%, Vitamin C 26%, Calcium 13%, Iron 40% RDV)
• totally scrummy!

Serve it with some crisp green leaves, and my loaded potato salad, and make your tummy happy!

Have you ever had a vegan quiche? What’s your favourite type? Tell me in the comments below!