The Thing(s) About Quiche

This is the thing about quiche.  (Yes, there is at least a thing or two about quiche.)  People are impressed by quiche.  People think you are a very fancy cook indeed, if you can make quiche. I am (obviously, to those of you who have been following along) not a fancy cook.  But I can make quiche – and so can you.  In fact, I’m going to go ahead and say that another thing about quiche is that it is one of the easiest dinners you can make.  And it is endlessly variable, so you will never be bored by quiche.  Tonight, I make a few tweaks to a quiche I made a few weeks ago, with equally tasty results.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

• 1 store-bought pie crust, brought to room temperature
• olive oil
• 3/4 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 bag broccoli florets
• 1 cup or so light cream
• 1 cup or so shredded cheddar
• 4 eggs
• salt, pepper & crushed red pepper (pretty much a staple around here)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Unroll the pie dough and press into a pie plate. Because it is a filled pie, no need to pre-bake or prick with a fork.
3. Microwave (I know! So not fancy!) your broccoli florets in the bag for about 2-3 minutes.  Note: This will make your broccoli a bit more like the consistency of the rest of the quiche – if you like your broccoli crunchy, skip this step.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil, and then cook the onions until translucent.  Toss in the broccoli; add some pepper and some crushed red pepper, if you’re into the heat.
5. In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and about a cup of light cream (again, you can pretty much use any dairy just to fluff up the eggs a bit).  Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pour the veggies mixture into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Pour the egg and cream mixture over the veggies; spread evenly.
7. Top with a generous handful of shredded cheddar; make sure to press at least some of it into the mixture below.
8. Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked all the way through. Feel happy you get to use your crust shield! (Goodness I love this thing.)
9. Serve with a side salad.

The Verdict: YUM.