I love buttery pie crust, which is where this whole thing started. I needed an excuse to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but couldn't ingest a month's worth of sugar. Quiche was the perfect candidate. I already loved eggs and could fill it with whatever I wanted. During my research phase, I read in a lot of places that the pie crust should never be the star of your quiche, and while I understand the sentiment, I completely disagree. Any dish that includes crust or bread is a duet; two stars in perfect harmony. Much like Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake "came together" for Love Never Felt So Good; they should be amazing on their own but mind blowing together.
After 15 whole minutes of sifting through all the spinach and goat cheese/broccoli cheddar quiches the internet had to offer, I decided to go off the bitten path and do my own thing. Inspired by different vegetable saute recipes, I spent the morning chopping, sauteing, and baking- I wanted my quiche to be loaded. What I created was a hearty, sweet and savory, filling, but not too decadent quiche that I will most definitely make again.
Sustainable or nah?
You may notice that below, most of the ingredients aren't organic and that's simply because I went to my local grocer, which has a limited selection of sustainably sourced goods. To some degree, I was supporting my local economy but that doesn't mean that I didn't give conventional producers my money.*sheds single tear*
I'm more strict about animal products (meat, dairy, and eggs) since for me there is a very visual relationship between animal welfare and organic certification. I think of miserable animals, barely surviving, and surrounded by filth whenever I flirt with the idea of buying conventional. I should also note that the connection between conventional food production and human rights violations is often easy to forget but worth its own blog post. Basically, "Cage-free" gave me trust issues and "Natural" is merely a ruse so I only buy Certified Organic when available and fiscally responsible.
Back to the egg pie
Sweet potato and turnip provide a sweet but hearty texture that plays off of the muted crunch of the savory kale with garlic. The mild tomato-herb mix ties the layers together, all of which are punctuated by staccato bites of salty sausage. Every note is carried by the creamy melody of egg and Monterrey Jack cheese, leaving the crust to really belt its buttery contribution in the last few measures.
Cold Weather Quiche:
A very approximate recipe.
Cook down until tender then chop into manageable pieces
1/2 Bag of organic kale
Garlic, salt, pepper
Peel, cube, and saute until tender
1 Medium sized sweet potato
1 Medium sized turnip #BrassicaReppin
Lil brown sugar and salt to taste
Combine and cook down to a super thick "sauce"
1 Large tomato (chop)
1 Bunch of leeks ~ like 8 leeks (chop into thin ringlets)
1/2 Bunch of basil (mince)
1/2 Bunch of thyme (pull leaves)
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice and saute until they get a little crisp
1 Package of antibiotic free turkey sausage links
Slice into 1/4 inch thick strips
A block of Monterrey Pepper Jack Cheese
Whisk
6 Organic eggs
1 Pint of organic half and half (3 eggs to 1/2 cup)
Pinch of Salt
Poke all over with a fork and pre-bake for 10 minutes at 350 Degrees
2 thawed or fresh pie crusts
Allow everything to cool down a bit. You don't want to combine everything, piping hot. Layer enough kale to cover the bottom of the pans, followed by the sweet potato/turnip combo. Top with tomato "sauce," sausage, and cheese. Pour egg mixture over everything, filling the point just before the crust fans out into edges.
Bake both pies at 350 Degrees for 30-40 minutes or until your fork comes out clean. If you have an issue with excess liquid after 40 minutes, make a little hole in the middle and gently press a small spoon down until it fills with liquid and toss it. Repeat until most of the liquid is gone and bake for 10 more minutes.
When your quiche is ready, let it stand for 15-30 minutes so that everything can finish setting and you don't have to eat your egg pie with a spoon.