Borage flower and wild asparagus quiche

• By Claire Borg

For 4 people, you will need:

For the pastry: 250g of plain flour, 50g of semolina, 100ml of olive oil, one teaspoonful of sea salt, half a teaspoonful of wild fennel seeds, one teaspoonful of fresh rosemary, a pinch of dried thyme, 110ml of water.

For the filling: 200g of Emmenthal cheese (diced), five eggs, 180ml/one tub of fresh cream, salt, pepper, three cloves of garlic (finely chopped), one large onion (finely chopped), a pinch of dried thyme, sunflower oil or similar, 100g of wild asparagus (blanched and chopped), around 30 borage flowers (thorny black bits removed).

Make the pastry at least two hours before it is needed. Place the flour, semolina, salt, fennel, rosemary and thyme in a large bowl. Rub in the olive oil until you have a crumbly texture, then add the water and work it in until the pastry is soft and pliable. Turn it out onto a clean surface and knead it until it all comes together evenly. Cover and refrigerate it. To make the filling, cook the onion, garlic and thyme in oil and set this aside. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 20cm-diameter baking-tin. Beat the eggs and the cream together and sprinkle this with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus, the onion mix and the cheese in the tin and pour the egg mixture over everything. Sprinkle the borage flowers over the surface and press them down into the mixture. Put the quiche into a cold oven, and then set the heat to 160C. Cook it for an hour or until the eggs are set and the pastry is cooked. You can also blind-bake the pastry lining (which means cooking it without the filling), and then fill it in the same way and cook it again until the eggs are set.