Spinach Quiche

Originally Published on April 10, 2007

Here is the recipe for a great spinach quiche I made the other day. My wife and I made a mistake and bought a huge bag of organic spinach at one of those wholesale clubs. We intended to eat much of it immediately in salads, but it just sat in the refrigerator. We refused to let it spoil so I thought about what I could make. My wife said, "just cook it all." She really likes cooked spinach.

Let me be honest with you. There are few things that I enjoy less than eating cooked spinach; I do like it raw, though. I don't like the texture or the mouth feel of cooked spinach unless it is creamed. I decided to make a quiche--something that I had never made, but often ate when I went to a local tea room with my wife. I figured that I could dispatch at least half the bag of spinach in it. I was pleasantly surprised when the quiche turned out tasting rich and wonderful. I couldn't stop eating it--I ate it for dinner and breakfast!

Buy a frozen 9 inch pie shell and bake it according to package directions (or make your shell from scratch if you enjoy that type of exercise). Either prick the pie shell with a fork or fill with beans or pie weights before cooking the pie shell to reduce rising during cooking.

Add to a bowl and whisk:
1 cup cooked spinach (Spinach should be seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. Once cooked, squeeze out as much moisture as possible and chop.)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup of milk
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
English Cheddar Cheese (not the yellow cheddar--use white)

Whisk well and pour mixture into a pre-baked pie shell. Again, the pie crust may be store-bought. Sprinkle a small amount of the cheese of your choice over the top. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place the quiche on the middle rack. Cook for 30 minutes; the top should be brown around the edge, have brown spots on the top And the center should be set when done. Allow quiche to cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!