mushroom, kale and thyme quiche

Here's a rustic tart-like quiche for winter. Quiches are a great recipe to make ahead for breakfast or lunch. This one is gluten-free, and would go beautifully with a winter slaw or some greenhouse greens. The crust was inspired by this posting on the Wednesday Chef. 

mushroom, kale and thyme quiche with a cornmeal crust
(filling)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
Splash of white wine
A handful of kale, stemmed and cut in ribbons
A few springs of thyme
Salt and pepper
(crust)
3 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
A few springs of thyme

1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 egg
(custard)
1 cup yogurt
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup cheddar, cut in small cubes

Preheat the oven to 350. Start heating the olive oil in a pan. Add the onions, and sauté for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put the 3 cups of water and salt on to boil. Back to the onions - add the mushrooms, and sauté on low heat for another 10 minutes. When the water boils, add the cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking to prevent lumps. Cook for a few minutes, until thick. Strip thyme leaves from springs and stir in. Beat in egg and parmesan. Set aside to cool.

Back to the onions again. Turn the heat up to medium, and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add in kale, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Cook until kale is wilted. Set aside.

Stir together the yogurt, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Now, press the cornmeal into a greased pie plate, shaping into a crust. Scatter the cheddar across the bottom, then spread the onion/mushroom mixture on top. Finally, pour over the yogurt and egg mix. Grate 1/2 cup parmesan over the whole quiche. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for at least a 1/2 hour before slicing. 

thanksgiving

When I think of thanksgiving, I think of sage, walnuts, maple syrup, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and apples. Inevitably, all these flavours made their way into my thanksgiving meal in some form or another.

Here's a thanksgiving wrap up:

(because these recipes should make there appearance more often than once a year)

maple brussel sprouts
sweet potato casserole
cranberry and apple stuffing
mushroom gravy
rosemary and lemon chicken

Wait, chicken? Aren't I a vegetarian? Yes, yes, and that includes not eating chicken (despite what many grandmothers may think, chicken is included the 'meat' category). I may be a vegetarian, but I'm not succeeding in brainwashing those I love. I believe in making loved ones delicious food they enjoy, and if that means roasting a chicken (a free range organic chicken, of course), then so be it. And that chicken might as well get the royal treatment, with lemon, rosemary, onions, sage and a bed of root vegetables. (And a 'Taps' send off when it went into the oven. I think my boyfriend was mocking me, but it was kind of sweet.)

pies galore

I don't know what possessed me, but I made two pies for thanksgiving. One of the savoury persuasion, out of the pages of Food and Drink (that glossy LCBO magazine everyone drools over), and one sweet one, from 101 Cookbooks.

And why not make two pies? They keep excellently in the fridge, and I'm still finishing them off, a week later. Here's the savoury one - Mushroom and Squash Pie with a Cheddar Cheese Crust. It took a long time to make, but if you're trying to impress someone, go for it! Spend your time cutting out intricate pastry oak leaves! It tastes delicious, especially the flaky, cheddar filled crust.

The sweet one was equally delicious, but didn't make it into any photos - a Maple Buttermilk Pie. Think custard, maple syrup, and a hint of lemon.

wonderful experiments!

Cornbread Quiche

Here's some almost-local quiches. I used gluten-free cornbread from Dufferin Grove market (locally made, some non-local ingredients). The wild garlic and mushrooms come from just outside of Toronto, and eggs, yogurt and feta cheese are available from numerous organic farms around the GTA all year round.

*Note - this makes 4 mini quiches. They keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, and reheat in the toaster oven.

4 slices of cornbread
4 tsp olive oil, more for sauteing
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 stalk wild garlic, minced
3 eggs
1/2 plain 3% yogurt
1/4 crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. This is a three part recipe. First, the vegetables. Saute the mushrooms and wild garlic in some olive oil in a pan. 

While the vegetables cook, make the crust: oil four muffin tins with olive oil. Press slices of cornbread into muffin tin, creating 4 mini crusts. Don't worry about crumbling or squishing the cornbread - just mold and press, then cook for 3 minutes. 

Meanwhile, the custard: combine the eggs, yogurt, feta, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk with a fork. 

Combine everything: take the crusts out of the oven, fill with mushrooms, then top with the egg mixture, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the egg is set. Remove from the muffin tins.

You could really make these with any vegetable filling you like, or switch up the cheese! Say, tomatoes and basil with mozzarella, or broccoli and cheddar. Also, you could try using plain old whole wheat bread, or even filo pastry for the crust.