So Seventies!

I learned how to make quiche back in the '70s, when I was a young wife trying to make ends meet. It was the "in" thing back then, along with fondue pots and putting sour cream in everything.

I'm not sure why I thought to make it again this week but once the idea was in my head, I couldn't get it out. I purchased a frozen crust and looked in the fridge to see what I could flavor the filling with.

Some of that salami that has been in there nearly as long as I've been making quiche. Half a red onion. Four big mushrooms that I sliced and sautéed with the chopped onion. Four or five leaves from my Swiss chard plant that keeps on giving out in the garden, cut into strips and wilted along with the mushrooms and onion.

Cheese. I didn't have the traditional Gruyère in the fridge, but I had picked up a nice piece of Spring Hill Old World Portuguese, a semi-dry cheese, as I passed for the last time through the Civic Center Farmer's Market, and it seemed as if it would be an able substitute. I added a little Parmesano Reggiano, as well.

Cream. I had a similar lack of cream on hand, so I used just a quarter cup of half-and-half that I did have plus a cup and a half from the bottomless bottle of kefir I've had since last summer (not kidding - organic from Clover Farms seems indestructible!) to mix with the eggs.

Hot Sauce. Well, yes, we seem to be adding hot sauce to virtually every dish this winter - welcome warmth!

The pie shell didn't hold all of this - there was about a quarter of a cup left over - but it was very full, so I put the quiche on a baking sheet and slid it into a 350 degree oven for about half an hour. It emerged beautifully browned and puffed, a gorgeous thing to look at. The puffing subsided after a few minutes and we cut thick wedges of one of the best quiches I've ever made. The kefir lent a tang to the custard that was really lovely and all the veggies and salami gave bumpy texture and a hint of salt and heat.

Really a tasty dinner, even though it was so seventies!

Pam's '70s Quiche Riff

6 eggs
2 cups shredded cheese, such as Old World Portuguese (or Swiss or Gruyère)
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup half-and-half light cream
1-1/2 cups kefir
1/2 large red onion, chopped
4 large button mushrooms, sliced
4-5 leaves of Swiss chard, cut in strips
4-5 slices dry salami, cut in triangles
a drizzle of jalapeño hot sauce, to taste
1 frozen pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small frying pan, sauté the onion, mushrooms together, then add the Swiss chard just long enough to wilt. Arrange evenly in the frozen pie shell so that each slice gets a sampling of the fillings. Sprinkle the cheeses into the shell. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.

Whisk eggs together with the hot sauce. Add the cream and kefir, whisking until smooth. Pour the mixture carefully into the pie shell, stopping when the mixture reaches the top. Jiggle it slightly to release any air bubbles and pour in more egg mixture to top if off, if needed.

Place the quiche in the preheated oven for about half an hour. When it is done, it will be richly brown and puffed like a shallow soufflé, and the scent of all that wonderfulness will escape the oven to tickle your nose. If you want to be sure, slide a knife into the center of the quiche - it should come out clean.

Let the quiche rest for a few minutes before cutting. The puff will subside so it's not as pretty, but it will make for neater slices and you won't sear the roof of your mouth with the nuclear cheese.