COOK | SPINACH, HAM, & CHEDDAR QUICHE

Technically, I guess,  quiche is a breakfast food because it has breakfast ingredients like eggs and milk. But it looks like a pie, and I believe you can eat pie whenever you want. So I made a quiche for dinner and then ate some for lunch. Homemade pie crust is easy peasy and isn't as complicated as you think. I didn't even bother with the food processor and got a good forearm workout using a fork. Give it a try, and then fill it with eggs, meat, veggies, and cheese (it has all the food groups)!

Ingredients:
PIE CRUST adapted from Martha Stewart
makes one 9 inch pie crust

• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3-5 TBS ice water

FILLING adapted from All Recipes

• 2 TBS butter
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 and 1/2 cup (12 oz) Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3-4 slices of ham, cut into small pieces
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cut/smash with fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons ice water. Incorporate with fork until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add another tablespoon of ice water); do not overmix. This can also be done pulsing in a food processor. 
2. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).
3. While the dough is chilling, make the filling.
4. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until onions are translucent. Stir in spinach, ham, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. 
6. After chill time, roll dough out into a round (1/8 - 1/4 inch thickness). Place into 9 inch pie tin and pinch in edges to make crust. Place another pie tin or foil on top to prevent dough from rising and bake for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove pie tin/foil and bake for another 5 minutes. 
7. Spoon spinach mixture into pie crust. Pour egg over spinach mixture in pastry shell.
8. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35-40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

I had leftover mixture because I used a 8 inch Marie Callendar's pie tin (from all the double cream blueberry pie we've been eating), so I made a frittata and stuffed it into corn tortillas with avocados and salsa! The quiche can be covered with foil and stored in the refrigerator. For reheat, microwave a slice for 30-45 seconds and put in toaster for a few minutes.

Ugh! Look at the gooey cheese. I'm going to get another slice right now!

xoxo, allison