Sundried tomato and spinach quiche

I must have mentioned previously my utter love for quiche. It is the easiest of dishes, and so complete! You got your eggs, you got your cream, your carbs are in the pastry, and there's veggies, to make it healthy and all, in the filling. What's not to love about quiche?

It takes near to no time to get together, especially if you use store bought pastry, but I do agree it is extra special in flavour and goodness if you make it from scratch. And pastry making is not that big of a deal, honestly. Once you try the first time, I doubt you go back to buying it. It's cheaper too, making your own. And the time it really takes is the time it needs to rest in the fridge, really.

The best darn thing about quiche is how you get to play with the flavours, you know? Just toying around with it, coming up with new combinations and new pairings, to me that is one of the biggest pleasures in cooking - and ultimately, in recipe developing, on all kinds of dishes, and mostly on quiche! My own quiche inventions usually spring up out of a craving to eat one, and then I just use whatever I have around, in the pantry and the fridge. Usually my quiches are rather ladden with veggies, as I am never short on frozen ones.

This was one such quiche. I had the cream, I had the eggs, my husband was willing to jump in and make the pastry, all I had left to do was figure out what to get inside it. As usual, I took a peek at my pantry, and there was tuna, but I wasn't feeling it. Looking in the fridge I saw this jar of sundried tomatoes that were begging to be used on other than stews and breads, and it just popped into my mind. I was gonna do a sundried tomato. rabe and spinach quiche, seeing that I always have a pack of each of those vegetables in my deep freezer.

And it was easy as pie, really. For starters, you need to make the pastry. You can either opt for a shortcrust pastry, and in that case you can get the recipe right here, or if you're in the mood for something a bit more decadent, you can go for a puff pastry of sorts, and I can also help you with that one right here. After you've let the dough rest in the fridge, you roll it over a sheet of baking parchment and place it on a pie dish, reserving. Don't forget to pierce the bottom of the pastry with a fork.

And for that you take four eggs and beat with a pack of cream, season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and lay aside. Chop a leek and some garlic,and fry on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil - if you're using sundried tomatoes in a jar, use the oil in that, it will take up the taste and make your mouth zing. Roughly chop up the tomatoes and toss into the pan, adding - if you are using frozen veggies - a cube of rabe and about three cubes of spinach. If you're using fresh vegetables, a pack of ready washed spinach will do the trick, as for the rabe, well, half a bunch will be enough. 

Season well, with salt, pepper and some thyme or oregano, depending on your preferences, and let it cook just slightly. Take the pan off the heat and scatter the mix over the pastry, covering with the cream and eggs. Now, you can add grated cheese to this, scattering it on top of the rest, or you can leave it like this, no cheese. I didn't use any this time, as I had none. Take it into the oven at 190º, until it's bubling away and golden on top, serve with a nice glass of white wine and bob's your uncle.