Recipe: Easy Florentine Quiche with Feta & Goat Cheese

Hey kids:

Long time no write, so I thought I’d start us off with a recipe I made up last night on the spur of the moment. Turned out that my husband declared it “the best quiche I’ve ever had” and even I had a slice of the leftovers for breakfast. It tastes like spinach dip in a quiche. Try it...quiche is a lot easier than it sounds.

XO,
M

Ingredients:
1 Ready to Use Piecrust
3/4 Cup Shredded Asiago Cheese

For Egg Mixture:
5 Eggs
1/2 C Skim Milk
2 TBSP Flour (I use a heavy hand)
2 pinches kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Grated nutmeg (about 1/8 of a teaspoon)

For Filling:
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 large garlic cloves, grated or chopped very fine
1 shallot, grated or chopped very fine
1.5 Cups frozen Chopped spinach (no need to defrost)
Salt & Pepper for Seasoning
3 oz. Crumbled Feta Cheese (Flavored is OK – I used Sundried Tomato in this recipe)
3 oz. Crumbled Goat Cheese (Flavored is OK – I used “four pepper” goat cheese in this recipe)
NB: You could probably use all Feta if you wanted, but the goat cheese gives it a bit of a smoother texture.

Instructions:
-Bake the pie crust according to the instructions for a filled pie (usually 7-9 minutes at 400 to 450 degrees). You can bake it in a cake or tart pan, or a regular pie dish – or if the crust comes in one of those aluminum pans, that will work too...
-Once the crust is baked, remove from the oven and let cool a bit. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, begin making the filling:
-Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add garlic and shallot and sauté until aromatic and just starts to turn golden.
-Add in the frozen spinach, with Salt and Pepper to taste, and cook until it is entirely defrosted and any residual water has cooked away. Maybe 5-7 minutes.
-Take the pan off the burner and allow the spinach to cool for about 10 minutes (while you whip up the egg mixture)
-Once the spinach mixture has cooled so that you can comfortably touch the pan, mix the feta and goat cheese lightly into the mixture. You don’t want it all to melt, but the mixture should all kind of come together and start to cohere.

For the egg mixture:
-whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium-sized bowl until almost frothy.
-Add flour and seasonings and whisk again until the flour has been mostly incorporated. There will be small-ish (less than pea-sized) lumps of flour, which are not a problem.

Finally:
-Scoop the spinach/cheese mixture into the bottom of the crust and use a spoon or spatula to spread around evenly.
-Give the egg mixture one last whisk and pour it over the top evenly.
-Lastly, sprinkle the Asiago evenly over the very top and place the whole thing in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  (If your pan is really full, place it on top of a baking sheet or foil, just to avoid slosh-over).

Quiche is done when the top (in the middle) is firm and bouncy to the touch and the top has started to brown. If you’d like a gorgeous brown crust, you can turn on the top broiler for the last 2 or 3 minutes, but watch it closely. Let the quiche cool for 15 or so minutes before cutting into it. Serve as part of a brunch or with a simple green salad & vinaigrette on the side.