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Baking: To ensure that half of us aren’t missing out on this supremely savoury treat, we set the record straight with a trio of quiches thickly filled with smoky chorizo, spinach and ricotta, and a puff-pastry number with pancetta

Spinach and Ricotta Quiche with WW Crust, The Guardian, Claire Ptak

Serves 4-6

For the pastry

wholemeal wheat flour

A pinch of salt

A pinch of sugar

cold butter, cut into 1cm pieces

-3 tbsp ice water

egg, for glazing

For the filling

eggs

plain flour

double cream

olive oil

spinach leaves, washed

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

A pinch of crushed red chilli

fresh ricotta cheese

Salt and black pepper

oven

1 Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter, or use a mixer. Avoid over-mixing. Leave larger chunks of butter than you would think. This will make the pastry more flaky. Drizzle in the water and bring it all together. Roll into a ball, wrap in clingfilm, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, make the filling. Whisk the flour into one of the eggs to make a paste. Add the remaining eggs and whisk in the cream. Strain the mixture to remove any lumps of flour. Season with the salt and pepper. This can now sit while you pre-bake the pastry, or can be made a day ahead.

3 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. I use a deep-dish tart pan around 22cm wide, but you could use a wider one that is more shallow. Roll out the chilled pastry, then press it into your buttered tin. Put a piece of parchment inside the pastry and fill it with dried beans or ceramic weights. Blind bake the case for 25 minutes. Remove the beans and paper. Brush the pastry with a lightly beaten egg. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and add the spinach. Stir periodically until it wilts, shrinking to about half its original size, and most of the water has evaporated.

3 Add the lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of red chilli. Season with salt and black pepper. Turn the oven down to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Fill the baked pastry with the spinach and scoops of ricotta. Pour over the egg mixture. Transfer to a baking tray. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until souffléd and golden. Rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it.