Mediterranean Quiche

Quiche originated in Lorraine, France, which is why it is often called quiche Lorraine. It originally had a bread dough crust but is now made with a pastry crust. It became popular in the United States in the 1950s.

There are many ways to make a good quiche. I thought about doing a traditional quiche recipe when suddenly I was inspired to put a spin on things and do a Mediterranean quiche recipe. I enjoy the flavor of Kalamata olives and feta cheese together, so those were my base starters and with that I put the rest together. I used local farm fresh eggs which have a richer flavor and come from happy chickens. For the pie crust I used whole wheat which makes it a little bit more dense and not as flaky. I haven’t tried making pie crust with gluten free flour yet but it might be a fun experiment to try. Homemade pie crust isn’t easy to make and one can be bought pre-made at the grocery store. I personally like to make my own. The key to making light and flaky homemade pie crust is to keep it cold and touch it with your hands as little as possible.

I added sharp cheddar cheese in addition to the feta cheese but the cheddar could be replaced with mozzarella to give it a creamier flavor. If you want to add meat to the recipe, venison, bacon or ground beef would go well with it. If you want to keep with the Mediterranean theme, you can add lamb.

Pie Crust ingredients and instructions:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup of flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup ice cold water

Mix butter, flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry blender until crumbly. Then add cold water a teaspoon at a time, mixing it in with a fork until the dough is wet enough to hold together. Form the dough into a ball by putting it on plastic wrap and pulling up the sides of the plastic. Try to touch the dough with your fingers as little as possible. Once formed into a ball. Take the dough out of the plastic and placed it on a floured flat surface. Roll gently into a flat circular shape until it is large enough to fit in a pie pan with some extra hanging over the sides. Trim off the dough around the rim leaving 1/2 inch hanging and pinch the edges to form a ridge. Set aside.

Quiche filling ingredients and instructions:

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1 cup chopped zucchini

3/4 cup red pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped spinach

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

1 cup Kalamata olives

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

6 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup feta cheese

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into the pie crust.

Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Make sure the oven is at full temperature and place the pie into the oven. Cook for 60 minutes. The quiche is done when the center is solid and not runny.