What's For Supper - Quiche

I started making quiches about twenty years ago. Back then, I would buy a frozen pie shell and fill it with broccoli, mushrooms, cheese and egg. Over the years, I experimented with other vegetables and cheeses, and started playing around with different herbs. A couple of years ago, when Bruce discovered he had become allergic to gluten, we thought we'd have to give up on quiche. Then we discovered the brand Gluten Free Pantry and their  Perfect Pie Crust.

 Hallelujah, quiche was back on the table!

The recipe below is just an example of the many quiches I make. Use it as a template and substitute your favorite veggies, cheese and herbs for the ones I use here. Have fun and be creative! Just make sure you make enough that you have leftovers. The quiche tastes even better the next day.

My quiche pan is about 1 1/2" deep and 10" in diameter. If you have a smaller pan, adjust the ingredients accordingly (or make a mini-pie with the leftovers!).

Note: if you're making a pie crust from scratch, make the dough about an hour before you want to assemble the quiche and chill it in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:
One pie crust
1 red onion
Salt and pepper
8-10 mini sweet bell peppers
1 9-oz. bag baby spinach
1/2 t. fresh nutmeg
About 1/2 c. crumbled gorgonzola
About 2 c. grated gruyere
8 large eggs
About 1 c. milk
About 1/4 c. water
1 t. dried tarragon

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the onion in half and slice it into very thin half moons.

Caramelize the onions over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add some salt as they cook.

Don't move them around too much. I know that's hard for some of you (me included), but just let them cook on their own and that wonderful, dark, sweet caramelization begins to happen!

You only have to flip them over once or twice during cooking. Once they're caramelized, turn off the heat and let them sit.








While the onions are cooking, cut the tops off of the peppers and take out the ribs and seeds.

         
             Dice into 1/4" pieces.

Saute over medium heat in olive oil. Add some salt and pepper as they cook. Once done, place in a bowl and set aside.









Sort through the spinach and take out any bad leaves. Tear off any long stems. Rinse the spinach and drain, but don't dry. Place as much of the spinach as will fit into the same saute pan you used for the peppers. No need to add oil - the moisture left on the spinach after rinsing will steam it.

Keep stirring the spinach as it wilts, and as it shrinks and makes room, add more spinach to the pan.

Once all of the spinach is in the pan, add some salt and grate about 1/2 t. of fresh nutmeg on top.

Keep stirring until all of the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat.











Tilt the pan, move the spinach to the top and squeeze it with the back of the spoon. Then spoon out all of the liquid in the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside to let the spinach cool.

Time for cheese! Get your gruyere and gorgonzola out.













Break your eggs into a medium sized bowl and beat them slightly. I tried a Pioneer Woman trick for the first time, and I liked the way it worked. Pour the egg mixture into a strainer set over another bowl, then stir the mixture as it falls through the strainer. The strainer will keep all of the tougher egg particles (aka yucky white gooby stuff) from getting through. Makes for a smoother, creamier egg mixture.

To the eggs, add the milk, water, salt, pepper and tarragon. Mix well. Boy, I love the smell of tarragon. I would use it in every dish if I could. Tarragon in tacos? Maybe not.








Finally, pull out that dough and place it in the pan. (The Gluten Free Pantry dough doesn't roll out well - I just place the ball of dough in the middle of the pan and squoosh it out to the sides with my fingers). I spray the pan with vegetable spray first, even though the dough has a lot of butter and shortening in it. I don't want one crumb to stick!

First layer: those luscious caramelized onions.

Squeeze any remaining liquid out of the spinach, then spread over the onions.

Next, spread the peppers over the spinach.

It's so pretty!

Ready for the cheese! You can use more gorgonzola, if you like. Just remember, a little goes a long way!

Last step of assembly: add the egg mixture. Slowly pour it all over the top. Once it's all in, use a fork or spoon to gently pat down the ingredients, tilting the pan a little to evenly distribute the egg mixture. 

OK, I'm getting hungry now. Carefully place the quiche on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden, the top is browned, and a toothpick comes out just moist.

Gimme some of that!  Well, you should let it rest for at least 15 minutes, then you can dig in. And, like I said, it's even better the next day, so if you can stand it, make this a day ahead of when you actually want to eat it. But I dare you to wait!

Some of my other favorite quiche ingredients are: roasted red potatoes (sliced or diced); mushrooms (roasted or sauteed); broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, shallots, leeks; herbs de Provence, thyme, marjoram, sage, basil, Italian parsley; feta, parmesano-reggiano, mozzarella, cheddar. Mix and match, improvise, have fun! Use what's in your garden and pantry. Supper is ready!