Easy as pie. Only, it's not really pie.

So, you may, or perhaps may not depending on your level of attention, have noticed that I like versatile food. Things that are easy top that list. Easy and versatile. Almost sounds dirty. So, to take it in a totally different direction before your mind gets too far into that gutter, let me explain. No, too much to explain. Let me sum up. (Name that movie!) 

Quiche.

Ahh, now you get it! It's like a miracle food. It's at home in a bistro for lunch, or at a fancy French restaurant for dinner. You can also make it for breakfast. It's a true wunderfood. And I grew up loving it. So, I learned to make it. Ummm... can I tell you how freakin easy this is?? If I had only known, I would have been making it ages ago.

So, the basics for quiche is simple: eggs, cream, and cheese. Mix it up, put it in a pie crust, and bake it for 45 minutes.  Simple as that. The fun part about quiche? Yeah, just add whatever you want to it. Mushrooms? Sure throw those in. Bacon? Yeup. Spinach? Sure thing. Now, you can just throw the extra ingredients into the mix and bake it, but this is me we are talking about. I like to go lowbrow fancy.  

So, for this version, I decided that I wanted the flavors of chorizo and spinach. After deciding that those flavors weren't quite enough, I add the classic red onion, garlic, and black olives.

In case you were marveling at how amazing simple this is, there are a few tricks to make it a bit better. You want to make sure to cut everything up into about the same size pieces. And by same size, I really just mean small. Tiny, perhaps. Oh. And use frozen spinach. It works great here.

Be sure to drain the spinach though. That means you really need to squeeze the heck out of it after it defrosts. Just look at all that liquid frozen spinach holds. You don't want that in your quiche. Trust me on that one, yall.

So, my little extra trick for an amazing quiche? Sauté the extra ingredients first. In this case, I sautéed the chorizo with the onions and garlic. Next trick? Let it cool before you add it to the egg mixture, otherwise you will just end up with a scrambled egg mess thing. No one wants that. I mean it. Who would eat that? Not me, that's for sure.

So, while the hot ingredients are cooling, grab your eggs and cream. Mix em up like you would with scrambled eggs. Add some salt and pepper, too.

Next, start adding the cool ingredients. Mix after each addition, just to make sure it gets evenly distributed. So in goes the very squeeze-dried spinach.

Then a nice amount of black olives.

Of course, cheese. Now, with the cheese, use whatever you like. Here I had some mozzarella. Use cheddar, pepper-jack, swiss, gruyere, gouda... it's totally whatever you want. That's the amazing thing about quiche. Super versatile.

Now that your sautéed ingredients are cool, toss them on in there too. Hopefully, at this point, you have preheated your oven too. If not, turn that on real quick.

So, now to marry the insides to the outsides. I use frozen pic crusts. I mean, you could make your own, if you are that type of person. I am not. Plus, I don't have a pie dish to put it in. And, I'm a lazy chef. No shame in taking some help from the store. No. Shame. I mean it! STOP LAUGHING!

If you feel like getting a bit fancy, like I did, you can decorate the top while you wait for your oven to heat up. You know, in case you are the type of person to forget to do that, or something. Which I'm not. Whatever, stop judging me. It could happen to anyone.

After about 45 minutes of patiently waiting, and drooling over the smell emanating from your now warm oven, out pops this amazing looking creation.

Serve it up with something green, or just east it out of the pie dish. It's fine. I swear, I won't be judging you.  Also, make sure to save some, you know, to take to work. To make all your coworkers ask where you went to dinner. Then watch with glee as they glare at you when you tell them you made it yourself. Hopefully, while you have a mouth full of deliciousness.

Enjoy, my poppets.

xoxo Craig

Spinach and Chorizo Quiche


What you need:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 frozen pie crusts
• 1 link of chorizo
• 1 box frozen spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup sliced black olives
• salt and pepper

Please note that you can substitute anything that you like in this dish. The main ingredients are the eggs, cream, and cheese. Feel free to experiment all you want with this dish. I've made it with mushrooms and bacon, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli and cheddar. Choose your favorites and go with it.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF).

Start with dicing up the chorizo and onion. Mince the garlic. Over medium high heat, start sautéing the chorizo. One the fat has started to render, add the onions. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Sauté for 7-10 more minutes, until nice and tender and caramelized. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.

While the warm ingredients are cooling, grab a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and cream and mix together. Add some salt and pepper. Next, start mixing in the spinach, cheese, black olives, then the sautéed ingredients. Stir thoroughly, then divide between the two pie crusts. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown on top. Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy