Trout is readily available from the rivers of the Carpathians or yes to be honest nowadays the fish farms that dot the valleys. Anyhow its a local fish that has not flown half way round the world to be here and I like using it. It works well with the mild flavour of leeks and the result is a sweet very savoury tart.
Ingredients – for quite a deep 20cm quiche
1 olive oil and wine pastry case [link to recipe]
2 fat fillets of smoked trout or 1 fairly large smoked trout
4 eggs
400ml 3.5% milk or a mix of cream and milk
fresh herbs, bits of rucola. Nice herbs are parsley and dill. Tarragon would be great and very Transylvanian but not with the dill as they would compete. be generous with the greenery
half a leek extremely finely chopped (so you dont need to cook it first)
some salt and pepper
How To
Chop up all your herbs and the leeks and sprinkle into the quiche case
With your fingers roughly break up the smoked trout and place on top of the greenery
Mix the eggs, milk, salt and pepper gently with a fork and pour over the trout & herbs
Press down any “floating” bits of greenery because if they stick out they will burn. However some sort of haphazard, bits poking out look is nice 
Cook at 160-170C gently until browned on top and the middle of the quiche no longer wobbles. It will rise up souffle like and then as it cools down setttle down.
Serve warm with a celeriac, carrot and apple salad and I fancy a nice glass of Feteasca Regala with it…
I remember the first time I tried an olive oil pastry…I was a student and keen on experimentation. There wasn’t much extra virgin around in those days and back in the kitchen I created oily crumbs which when pressed into a tart tin promptly fell apart and tasted faintly rancid. I relegated the idea but always hoped I would find a recipe that worked.
