Eat your heart out baby!

Now, I don't mean to make you other northerners jealous or anything (well, maybe a little), but take a look at what I harvested from my little home garden in the second week of March:

Arugula and Mesclun Greens from my cold frames . . . 

Winter hardy leeks mulched in my garden . . .

Local Rehoboth Eggs (Rhode Island Reds)

Don't you just love the variation in size?

I wish I could say they were from my chickens . . . but alas . . . 

Leek and Cheddar Quiche

Arugula and Mesclun greens 

with lemon juice, olive oil, Portuguese red pepper sauce, salt and pepper.

Now THAT is a great, healthy meal for the family! 

The quiche recipe I always use is a good old Fannie Farmer basic quiche recipe where you can add any vegetable of choice to the recipe depending on what you have on hand . . . which is great in the summer if you have a vegetable garden! You just roam around outside to see what's available for the pickin'. I need to get the remaining leeks out of my garden (they are scattered throughout) so I will be ready for new seedlings in April and May! 

Basic Quiche Recipe:

Prepare one oil Pie Crust - get the recipe and instructions HERE.

Partially bake the crust (of course with quiche, you only make the bottom) prick prepared crust in pie plate with a fork several times. Then bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven when it's done (carefully, so you don't damage the edge of the crust).

Meanwhile, while the crust is baking prepare your quiche filling.

Saute 2 leeks (rinsed well) Slice lengthwise several times, then chopped into 1/8" slices. Rinse chopped leeks again in a fine colander. Then saute in 1 T of butter (or olive oil) and a sprinkle of salt. If you want to use another vegetable, use about 1 cup of chopped veggies - like broccoli, spinach, asparagus.

Filling - Mix into a large bowl (if it has a pouring spout, all the better)

• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  
• 2 Cups whole milk (recipe calls for light cream, but I've used the milk and it works well)
  
• 1/2 t salt
  
• 1/8 t nutmeg
  
• pinch cayenne pepper (don't worry, your quiche won't taste spicy)
  
• 1 1/4 C grated cheese - sometimes I use a little more. (For my leek quiche I used cheddar cheese and a little freshly grated parm cheese -- simply because that's what I had on hand.) Saving some (maybe 1/8 C) to sprinkle on the top after I pour the egg mixture into the crust.
  
• Sauteed veggie of choice - 1 Cup raw

Mix the above, then when your crust is precooked make sure your pie crust is on a rack in the oven with the rack pulled out. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust, sprinkle the reserved cheese on top, and then gently slide the quiche into the oven. 

Cook quiche at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes more - until the egg mixture has set in the center of the quiche. 

Yum. Yum. Yum.