Light Summer Quiche

Light summer Quiche

Quiche always conjures up a rich savory French indulgence that, while deeply satisfying, is just loaded with fats including butter, cream, cheeses, and often bacon to boot. All well and good if you happen to be a working rural farmer who requires a hearty lunch during the cold winter months, but for most of us that is not the case.

The recipe that follows proposes a lighter approach to making a quiche that requires no butter, no cream, a slight of hand using assertive cheeses, and an optional hint of cured ham. A summer quiche if you will that is every bit as satisfying as the full monty sans overindulgence.

Feel free to substitute seasonal vegetables available where you live.

Light Summer Quiche    Serves 4-6

Preheat the oven to 400F/205C

For the crust: needed:  9 or 10 inch round baking dish 

• 3 golden potatoes, baked or steamed
• flaked sea salt (Maldon)
• fresh ground black pepper
• olive oil

You can either bake the potatoes or steam them.

Bake the potatoes with skin on until soft. Cool, peel off the skin, and mash, adding salt and pepper to taste.

To steam, peel the potatoes and cut into pieces. Steam until soft, cool, and mash, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly oil the baking dish with olive oil. Press the mashed potatoes into the baking dish using your fingers to form a crust, evening off the top edges.

Place in the preheated oven and bake the crust for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is dry and lightly colored. Set aside on a rack to cool.

For the quiche:

• 2 cups peeled diced baby turnips (or other vegetables of choice), steamed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 slices pancetta, diced (optional)
• 2 medium onions, peeled, quartered, and sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup oil cured sun dried tomatoes, sliced into strips
• 12 kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
• 1 teaspoon crumbled lemon thyme leaves
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• 4 organic eggs
• ½ cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmigiano cheese

Steam the turnips (or vegetables of choice) until just soft (al dente) and set aside to cool.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the pancetta (if using) and saute about 1 ½ minutes. Remove promptly and set aside. Add the onions and garlic to pan and saute, lowering the heat as needed, until the onions and garlic are soft, about 7 minutes.

Return the pancetta back to the pan along with the steamed turnips, sun dried tomatoes, olives, lemon thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss until well combined . Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Then transfer to the prebaked  crust in the baking dish and distribute evenly.

Whisk the eggs and milk until well combined. Pour over the filled crust until the liquid nearly reaches the top of the crust. Give the pan a jiggle to settle the egg mixture into the filling, adding more egg mixture if needed. Add the feta evenly over the quiche and, using your finger, push the feta half way  into the filling. Scatter the parmigiano over the surface and place in the oven.

Bake until the quiche has firmed up and the top is lightly colored, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool until ready to serve.