Quiche and Cognition

Last week, I made a quiche, which was a big step for me recovery-wise.  I haven’t expended that much energy since June.  Of 2006.

I found some lard pie dough in the freezer left over from the cherry pie debacle so, having only sporadic interest in sweets since treatment began, a quiche seemed imminent.  Also, there was a lot of summer squash piling up, which, after a quick survey of the fridge, I planned to combine with leeks, crumbled queso fresco, and some fresh oregano from out back.  Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t have attempted a quiche on a weeknight if I had remembered about the blind-baking part, where you have to pre-bake the empty crust before filling it.  And so I stood over that raw crust, bowl of filling hovering just above it, trying to figure out what was wrong with this picture.  It finally clicked after about 10 minutes.

(Did I mention that chemo can adversely affect your mental abilities?  They call it “chemo brain.”  Judging by the fact that one of the beds in the house ended up with a fitted sheet and two top sheets on it, I think it’s safe to say I won that lottery, too.  But at least now I have an excuse for the dumb things I do.)

Anyway, the quiche came out great.  Squash has no business tasting that good.  Then again, what doesn’t taste good swaddled in two cups of cream?  Speaking of which, I had a little extra egg/cream mixture left over, so I added to it some sliced salami and cubes of stale bread I’d put aside for croutons.  I let the bread soak until softened and added some Romano cheese.  Then I poured it into a small casserole dish, sans crust, and baked it into a sort of strata.  Also scrumptious.  (Again, cream.)

By the way, to answer a question from comments, what you saw a couple of posts ago wasn’t a quiche, but a frittata.  Eggs, sweet corn shaved from the cob, sungold tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese cooked together like a giant omelet.  No crust.  It’s what you make when quiche is on your mind, but you only have a half an hour.  If, however, you’re trying to make up for lost time in the kitchen, I offer you this quiche recipe.

Leek and Summer Squash Quiche

Feel free to substitute feta for queso fresco, or fresh basil or marjoram for the oregano.  However, be sure to always reheat leftovers in the oven rather than a microwave to keep crust crispy and delicious instead of rubbery and disgusting.

Crust

For lard crust recipe, go here (makes two so you can have one in the freezer for later).

Filling

3 pattypan squash (or 1 medium summer squash or zucchini), chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 leeks, white and light green parts only), chopped

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 oz. queso fresco, crumbled

½ tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

4 eggs

2 cups cream

3-4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Salt and pepper

Make your pie dough and chill for at least a half hour.  Set chopped squash in a colander over a plate and sprinkle with salt.  Let drain for at least a half hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Roll out dough on floured surface and transfer to pie plate.  (For tips on rolling out pie dough, go here.)  Set a sheet of aluminum foil on top of dough and fill with dried beans, rice, or other pie weights to prevent shrinkage and bubbling.  Bake about 30 minutes, until golden and dry.  Let cool a bit before adding filling.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Sauté leeks until soft but not brown, about five minutes.  Set aside in a medium bowl and wipe out skillet.  Blot moisture from squash with paper towels.  Heat olive oil in skillet over high heat.  Cook squash until tender and browning.  Add squash to bowl of leeks.

When crust has cooled, add leeks, squash, cheese, and most of the oregano.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, and salt and pepper.  Pour filling over vegetables.  You may not use it all, depending on the amount of vegetables in the crust.  Place tomato slices on top and sprinkle with remaining oregano.  Bake 45-55 minutes depending on your oven.  Filling should be set and starting to brown.  Let cool and serve with a big salad.

 

Local Sources:

Squash, leeks: Waltham Fields, Waltham, MA

Butter: Cabot, Cabot, VT

Oregano: Backyard

Eggs: Chip-In Farm, Bedford, MA

Cream: High Lawn Farm, Lee, MA

 

Comments

[aimee]

I adore quiche, which is lucky for me since I get about seven eggs a day from my hens as well as gallons of greens from my trade network. Oh plus all the goat cheese of course and the bacon. So a quiche of some sort -say, kale, goat cheddar and bacon, or chard, ham and feta, is in the heavy weeknight rotation. I admit to using storebought piecrust, however.
aimee

[Amy]

Where did that saying "real men don't eat quiche" come from? All the men I know, love quiche.

Anyway, I love quiche, too. I don't have the time or patience to bake my own crust, though. I cheat and buy the pre-made kind. And I'm okay with that.

It is hard to go wrong with eggs and cream. (Heck, leave out the vegetable and you're on your way to dessert!)

[NurseJen]

Your strata was likely also helped along by the salami. I am in my second trimester of pregnancy, and cold cuts are on my forbidden list, unless they're cooked. I've been craving salami (on a stinky sandwich with gorgonzola and red onion, preferably) - now I have a way to eat it! Thanks, Tammy! (BTW, if chemo brain is anything like baby brain, I can thoroughly sympathize...)

[Julia]

Glad you're feeling better and enjoying cooking! I just made a strata for the first time a few weeks ago.. and found it a great way to use up all the leftovers - just like you did ;-)

[Nicole]

Here comes a long comment:

1. This recipe sounds awesome. I have leeks for a recipe that probably doesn't need much so this will make good use of the extra. And my CSA had the squash every week so I need more ideas for that, too. Eggs and cream are always welcome in any meal of mine.

2. Does High lawn farm use milk from pastured cows? What about Chip-In farm and their chickens - pastured?

3. Every time I pick up my CSA box, I think of you because I have also managed to develop a crush on our farmer. I'm not going to do anything rash like leave my husband for a life of sowing and harvesting but I almost asked him if they do tours for kids/families. The farm is 2.5 hours away and I have non-walking 10 month old twins. Ya...

Love your blog, hope your feeling well.

[Alana]

So glad to see you back in the kitchen... just in time for fall too. And using cream from way out here in the Berkshires! We're honored.

[Husband]

We husbands like to call it Manly Egg-Pie.

[Tammy]

Husband: Whatever makes you feel better about it!

Alana: You should be! I love that cream.

Nicole: 1. More recipes for squash, hmmmmm. I'll have to think about that. 2. Yes, cows from High Lawn and chickens from Chip-In, both pastured. I pasted in the links for both farms so you can click over and see the pics. 3. See? It's hard not to get all smitten. Enjoy!

Julia: What would we do without eggs and everything you can do with them to use up scraps?

NurseJen: Chemo brain is a LOT like baby brain. Oh, I could tell you some stories...

Amy: Exactly. Nothing wrong with that.

Aimee: Yum. All of those sound soooo good.

[Cindy]

What are your true thoughts on store bought pie crust for quiche? Have to admit that is always how I've tackled it! A bit overwhelmed by the idea of making that part from scratch....

[Tammy]

Cindy: I think using store-bought pie crust is fine. It's just that I loooooove homemade pie crust so much that I'm highly motivated to make it. (I use the food-processor and it only takes 10 minutes of work.)