Apr 09 2010
Stephanie’s Simple Vegetable Quiche
Quiche can be served throughout the day as an entrée- breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner. It is simple, yet nutritious and always a crowd pleaser. I’ve been experimenting with ingredients and variations on the recipe- Mediterranean, rustic, classic, etc- and love that each vegetable, protein, and cheese creates a new mouth watering indulgence.
While quiche is simple in preparation and ingredients, it creates the illusion that you have slaved over a hot stove for hours. When paired with a fresh mix of greens and herbs in a light vinaigrette, the results are light and satisfying.
Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, it actually originated in Germany in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake.
The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. Add onions and you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.
Recipe: Stephanie’s Simple Vegetable Quiche
Ingredients
For pie dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
- 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For quiche filling:
- 5-6 eggs
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped, seeded
- 1 small vidalia onion
- 1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped
- 2 strips of bacon or turkey bacon
- 1 cup skim milk or heavy cream
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pinch of basil and parsley
- 1 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan and mozzarella cheese (mixed)
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until mixture is aerated. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut butter into dry ingredients until it is in pea-size pieces that are slightly yellow in color, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and mix just until dough comes together. (Add the last tablespoon of ice water if necessary, but do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.)
- Shape dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then use in the pie or tart recipe of your choice.
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat up olive oil in a saute pan, once hot, add all vegetables. Remove chilled pie crust from refrigerator and sprinkle the bottom of the crust with half of the cheese.
- Continue to cook the vegetables until al dente. Place half of the vegetable mixture into the pie dish. Put the rest to the side. In a separate dish, beat 5-6 eggs with milk or cream. Add the remaining vegetables to the egg mixture. Add salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Pour mixture into the pie crust.
- In a skillet, cook bacon to liking. Place both strips of bacon to form a cross onto the pie. Sprinkle remaining cheese onto pie. Place pie in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a simple spring mix with herbs in a light vinaigrette.
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[...] ago, Stephanie showed us her recipe for a simple vegetable quiche, and it is delicious. When I took at a crack at quiche, I was yet again under the challenge to [...]