quiche

During warmer weather I shy away from always fixing meals that require me to be around the stove for any length of time. One pot meals and meals that go into the oven are my favorite things to prepare when it is hot.

Quiche is one of those meals you can quickly prepare then stick it in the oven to do its thing while you do something else. Quiche is also versatile because you can use anything you want for the filling whether it is veggies, meat, cheese or a combination of all three. The only thing I haven’t tried in a quiche is pasta. But who knows, that might work too. I’ll let you know if I ever get bold enough to try it.

I have two quiche recipes you can try for my vegetarian friends and meat eaters like me. I encourage you to experiment with the ingredients to make this your own favorite recipe.

P.S. Crab quiche is wonderful too. I’ll write a recipe on that one too sometime soon.

Quiche

Basic Quiche Recipe

Ingredients:

6 extra large eggs

1 ready made pie crust (roll out to fit in pie pan)

½ cup shredded Gruyere cheese

¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup half and half

1 tbsp butter or olive oil

½ tsp mushroom seasoning (Trader Joe’s)

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cracked black pepper

¼ tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp dried thyme

2 dashes of hot sauce (optional)

cooking spray

paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pie crust in a pie pan sprayed with cooking spray. Gently tap the bottom of the pie crust with a fork to prevent puffing. Set aside.

Beat together eggs, seasonings and half and half until well blended. Fold cheeses into the egg mixture. Sprinkle with a little paprika. Place pie pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Test to make sure the quiche is cooked thoroughly by placing a butter knife in the center after 30 minutes. Cook a few minutes more if not completely done. Let the quiche cool for about 5 to 10 minutes then serve with nice soup or salad.

Additional Ideas:

Mushroom Quiche:

Saute 1 package each of baby portobella mushrooms and white button mushrooms in 1 tbsp of butter or olive oil. Place on the bottom of the pie crust then pour egg and cheese mixture over the mushrooms. Bake according to basic the recipe.

Chicken and Broccoli Quiche:

Season one package of cooked diced white meat chicken with a little salt, onion powder and pepper. Set aside. Blanche 1 package of broccoli florets in salted water for about 3 minutes. Remove from water and place in a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and sprinkle broccoli with a little salt. Place chicken and broccoli in the bottom of the pie crust then pour egg and cheese mixture over the filling. Bake according to the basic recipe.

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Since I have a busy schedule between family stuff, work and dmariedining.com I am always looking for easy recipes that are packed with flavor. I think quiches are one of the simplest dishes to make when you don’t have a lot of time or you don’t feel like fussing over dinner. A quiche can be a full meal paired with a nice salad or it can be an appetizer (smaller portion) at the start of a meal.

Mushroom and spinach quiche is one of my favorite meals to make. It has lots of protein and is very filling even though there is no meat in the dish. Mushrooms and spinach seem to go together well whether in a salad or a quiche.

For all the moms out there that want to teach their kids how to cook, you may want to introduce them to the world of quiches. Because they are so versatile, you can turn quiches into a vegetarian dish, a seafood dish or a meat dish. Think about how it easy it would be to teach your kid how to cook a little spinach, beat a couple of eggs and add some cheese to a pie shell. I know I make it sound a little too easy but it is easy enough for a teenager to make.

If you have young adults at home who have limited cooking skills (like my son), a mushroom and spinach quiche would be a good dish to teach them how to make for those independent days of cooking. This one will might even be an impressive meal for a date.

Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:
1 9 inch deep dish pie shell thawed
1 10 oz bag baby leaf spinach
1 10 oz pkg sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp parsley
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
¼ tsp cumin
¼ cup half and half
¼ cup fontina cheese shredded
½ cup Gruyere cheese shredded
4 eggs
2 shallots sliced thin
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 1 tbsp of butter with olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add spinach, ½ tsp salt, and black pepper. Saute until spinach is wilted but bright green. Remove spinach from the pan and set aside. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan along with mushrooms, shallots and ½ tsp of salt. Saute until mushrooms are slightly browned.

Poke the bottom of pie shell with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven. Layer spinach on the bottom of the pie shell. Sprinkle half of the cheeses over the spinach. Layer the mushrooms over the cheese then top with the remaining cheese.

Beat together eggs, red pepper flakes, cumin, parsley, a pinch of salt and half and half. Pour into pie shell, sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes until the middle of the pie is set. Test with a knife. It should come out clean. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes.

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