Recipe & Bento: Smoked Cheese & Leftovers Quiche

I love a good quiche. I remember the first time I made mini quiches for a picnic me and M were going to have at the beach, I dropped in a number of vegetables, chicken, smoked ham and smoked cheeses, and he gobbled it up. In fact, I had gone up to the concession to wash my hands and grab some napkins, and was pretty pissed that he had started eating without me!

He made up for it though - as I walked back to the beach blanket, he gave me a huge thumbs up and a grin. You know, because his mouth was too full with quiche. :o\



I like making quiche because the preparation and shopping are so minimal, and yet the results are so delicious and versatile! You can have it for breakfast or brunch, or you can pair it with a simple salad, fruits and vegetables for a lunch or dinner. Which is what M and I got for lunch today!

The beauty of quiche is that you can change the ingredients around - different vegetables, different seasonings, different meats, different cheeses. I use whatever I have on hand, although I do always make an effort to include smoked gouda or smoked gruyere - it is just *so good* with those cheeses!!!

Ingredients
1 9" deep dish pie crust (single)
2-3 cups vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, onions, olives, leeks, shallots) - if you're using a vegetable with higher water content, it is advisable to saute them off to rid of some water. Otherwise you'll have a runny, soggy quiche!
1/2 to 1 cup meat, chopped into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces (ham, cooked chicken cubes, firm seasoned tofu, smoked ham, pulled pork, use your imagination!)
1/2 cup cheese (parmesan, smoked gouda / gruyere, cheddar, jarlsberg, swiss, the possibilities are endless)
6-8 eggs, beaten
Salt & Pepper to taste (adjust accordingly; if you've used a smoked ham or cheese, use less salt!)
1/2 t basil
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t garlic

Finely chop or shred the vegetables. Mix together the meat, vegetables, and cheeses and place into the pie crust. If it is a little above the rim of the pie plate, do not worry! The vegetables and cheeses will wilt and melt a little - and who doesn't like a good filling piece of pie! :)

Beat the eggs together with the seasonings and slowly pour over the fillings. You want to fill to within a 1/4" of the edge of the pie crust, without spilling.

If desired, sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan over the quiche, and bake on a lined baking tray (to catch any overflows!) for 50-60 minutes at 350ºF.



For our bentos today, I decided to go healthy and make use of all the fresh produce we had in our fridge. I sauteed some mushrooms off with onions and garlic, and blanched some cauliflower in salted water. (I love cauliflower!) I also chopped up some bell peppers (for vitamin C). M got a couple slices of roast pork with his lunch (he says he's twice my size, so he has to eat more. hmm.)