Summer Harvest Quiche

Last Year's Post:  Chicken Gyros
Two Years Ago:   Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad

You can never have too much of great summer tomatoes, corn and zucchini, can you?  The only question is how to use them in different ways so they don't get repetitive.  You've probably been using them in salads and as side dishes, but what about a quiche?  It makes a great light dinner or Sunday brunch, not to mention that it's ideal for work lunches throughout the week.

Quiche is easy to make and easy to customize, plus you can go fancy by making little individual ones or family-style by making one big one.  This recipe happens to be vegetarian but you could easily add crumbled cooked sausage, bacon, or even lump crab to make it special. Feel free to substitute whatever vegetables and cheese your family prefers or you happen to have on hand.

Serve with a big green salad and some crusty bread for a perfect late summer dinner. (Is there a sadder phrase than "late summer"?  Oh yes.  It's called "Winter". I remember a guy in my high school - a member of the ski team - who would wear a big "Think Snow" button on his jacket beginning in early November.  I wanted to slap him. )

Anyway, even if you have buckets of fresh tomatoes, roast them for this recipe (see how here) because fresh tomatoes are too watery for quiche.  Not to mention it's a great way to preserve all those fresh tomatoes for Winter.

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 Summer Harvest Quiche

Serves 6

1 9-inch pie crust

Pie weights or dried beans for blind-baking the crust

                                                                               

1 tablespoon olive oil   

1small zucchini

½ cup chopped onion                                                   

1 ear fresh corn

3 eggs, room temperature                                                          

1 ½ cups milk

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper                                                       

1/3 cup sun-dried (or roasted) tomatoes, chopped

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (packed)

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tablespoon basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pie crust in a pie pan (preferably glass) and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Fill the pie plate with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.  Remove from the oven; remove the parchment paper and weights or beans. Let the pie crust cool for a few minutes.   Leave the oven at 350d.

Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in fourths lengthwise, then slice.  Sauté the zucchini and onion in the olive oil until softened and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

Briefly cook the ear of corn by boiling, steaming or grilling for 3-4 minutes.  Let cool, then cut the kernels off the cob.  Set aside.

Combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until well blended.  Add the chives, rosemary and basil and stir well.

Place the zucchini mixture, corn kernels, tomatoes and grated cheese in the pie crust.  Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. 

Bake in the middle of the oven for 50-55 minutes at 350d until browned and set.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

Mushroom & Pea Risotto

Last Year's Post: Chicken Parmesan with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Orange Pecan Salmon with Three Pea Salad

As a former food company marketer, I have a pet peeve about recipes looking the way they should if you followed the recipe exactly - not prettied up just for publication.  I was attracted to the picture of this recipe, which looked much like the one above but it didn't match the recipe.  As written, the mushrooms were supposed to be cooked in the risotto and the peas stirred in at the end, which would definitely not showcase either ingredient on top of the rice.  So I re-wrote the recipe to match the image and was happy with the results - particularly with the nutty, caramelized cremini mushrooms.  This is a very satisfying dish although it's vegetarian, but you could always add cooked chicken or Italian sausage if you prefer.  It has a light, springtime feel with the peas and chives that could be accented even further if you wanted to add some asparagus.  And it's a one-pot meal, even better.

Stirring risotto does take some time, but I find it oddly soothing especially if you've had a hard day.  And it only takes about 30 minutes to stir, which isn't bad.  Start by cleaning and trimming the mushrooms, then cut them into wedges through the stem - four, six or eight wedges, depending on the size of the mushroom, to end up with pieces that are roughly even in size.

The mushrooms are cooked first to achieve the nutty brown caramelization - they give up their water and shrink considerably during the process.  Don't be tempted to stir continuously, just let them brown before turning over to brown on the other side.

After the mushrooms are browned, they're removed and you start adding layers of flavor to the risotto with shallot, garlic, wine, rice, chicken broth and Gruyere cheese.  Some of the peas get stirred in at the end, and some go on top with the mushrooms and chives.  Easy, light and delicious for (almost) spring.

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Mushroom & Pea Risotto

Serves 2

8 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary

1 large shallot, minced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 qt chicken stock

¾ cup Arborio rice

¼ cup white wine

¾ cup frozen peas, thawed

½ cup grated Gruyere cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish

Cutting the mushrooms into wedges through the stem (like a pie), cut small ones into four pieces, medium into six pieces, and large mushrooms into 8 pieces so all pieces are roughly the same size. At the same time, heat the chicken stock in a saucepan to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a simmer.

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and sauté on the first side without stirring until browned, about 4-5 minutes, then turn and sauté on a second side until browned, another 4 minutes or so.  Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.  Turn the heat down to medium and add shallots and garlic to the same pan, adding a small amount of more olive oil if the pan seems dry, and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add the rice and let toast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the wine and stir well. Cook until the wine is absorbed and the pan is almost dry, about 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Add one large ladle (about 1 cup) of the simmering chicken stock to the rice and stir continuously until the broth is absorbed and the pan is almost dry.  Add another ladle of stock and continue stirring until almost dry once more.  Continue the process until all the stock is absorbed and the risotto is creamy, about 25-35 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Add half of the peas and the grated Gruyere to the risotto and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on two individual plates or in shallow bowls, then top with the remaining peas, the mushrooms, and chives for garnish.  Serve immediately.