Our April snow set back my spring greens, even in cold frames, and asparagus refused to poke tips through chilly soil. But they’re making progress now and will soon be ready for spring quiche.
I love this vegetarian recipe’s versatility. You can feature as few, or many, homemade and homegrown ingredients as you like. Make pie crust, plain or herb and cheese, or substitute a store-bought flour-based or gluten-free one. Choose yogurt or sour cream. Tone down goat cheese’s flavor by swapping in feta or fromage blanc. For the full homemade experience, you can find my recipes for these crusts, yogurt, sour cream and cheeses at TwiceAsTasty.com.
As a bonus, this recipe begs for leftovers. Precooking vegetables helps keep quiche from getting soggy. Grill or sauté extra asparagus for dinner, and then fold leftovers into this quiche the next day. Other cooked leftovers can be substituted too: spring onions and garlic, peas, radishes and more. Just keep the total volume around 3 cups.
Wilting makes greens less watery. If you’re sautéing fresh asparagus, simply turn off the burner, toss the greens on the hot spears, cover the pan and let it sit for a couple of minutes. If you’re using leftovers, lightly sauté the greens until they start to soften and drain away any liquid. Leave a handful raw and fresh for attractive garnish.
If you don’t grow your own, local farmers have you covered. Wicked Good Produce harvested its first arugula last week, and The Farmers’ Stand in Whitefish has offered greens from Two Bear Farm for a few weeks. Local asparagus will soon appear at stores and markets: Kalispell Farmers Market starts up May 7, with other weekly markets kicking off later in the month.
Spring Vegetable Quiche
Serves 6-8
1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
2 cups chopped cooked asparagus
2 cups arugula or spinach, wilted
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
1 tablespoon flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chives and/or arugula for garnish
Fit the rolled-out pie dough into a standard 9-inch pie plate. As needed, tear off dough to an inch beyond the plate’s edge and flute along the lip, folding the dough up to the rim and pinching it between thumb and forefinger into a wavy edge.
Layer the pastry with the asparagus and wilted greens. In a medium bowl, toss the cheese and flour; sprinkle over the vegetables. Beat the eggs in the emptied bowl; thoroughly mix in the sour cream or yogurt, milk, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Wrap the pie plate rim in a halo of foil or silicone pie shield that covers just the crust.
Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes. Remove the shield and sprinkle on chives and/or fresh arugula. Bake for up to 20 additional minutes, until the custard is set with golden crust. Let sit for five minutes before cutting.