Mediterranean Quiche Duo with Cucumber-Chickpea Salad

When I was a kid, my Grandma kept a small pie pan in her kitchen for me to use whenever we baked together. We'd always make one big pie for the family, and I'd get to make my own little mini pie that would go in the oven alongside the "regular" one.

Now that I have a son, he loves cooking and baking with me! He absolutely loves trying new things in the kitchen, so I told him that it was time for him to learn to make quiche.

If you're looking for another favorite quiche recipe, this baby spinach and cheddar quiche made with fresh spinach is another staple in our home.

So he grabbed his apron and step stool and we got to work. First came the crusts. We made one big batch of dough and cut ⅓ of it off for him to roll out for his own mini quiche.

He was stoked to learn how to use the pastry cutter! And he really got a kick of the fact that we keep an ice cube in the bowl of water to keep it nice and cold as we're making the crust.

When I was a kid, my aunt had a mat that had different-sized circles that helped you see how large you needed to roll out the pie crust.

My son loved seeing how big his pie pan was, then figuring out how large we needed to roll the dough so it would fit properly.

I let him do his thing until it was just the right size, then we folded it into quarters to transfer it to the pie plate.

Using a fork to decorate the crust and prick the bottom was definitely one of his favorite parts.

I had him crack the eggs for me, then he kept himself entertained off to the side making pretend recipes with all the scraps of ingredients that were hanging around on the countertop.

The filling for this quiche is simple but it packs a ton of flavor. I sautéed garlic, shallots and spinach with some freshly grated nutmeg until it wilted down nicely.

While it was cooling off, I whisked the eggs and milk together and added in the Parmesan. I did a layer of spinach and sun-dried tomatoes on the bottom of each crust, then poured the egg mixture over top.

A few grinds of black pepper on top and they were ready for the oven.

These beauties baked up in about 45 minutes. They need to cool a bit before you slice into them to make sure the slices hold their shapes.

The sweetness from the sun-dried tomatoes goes so well with the spinach. It was a huge hit at our brunch!

The crust was nice and tender and flaky. I've been a fan of Bob's Red Mill for a long time now, and their flours really are a notch above many other brands that I've tried in the past. For this recipe, I used their Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour.

This type of flour is so versatile - it's a pantry staple. I use it for everything including cookies, cakes, pies, scones, breads, rolls and biscuits. When shopping, I prefer to buy unbleached flour - this means that the flour is bleached naturally as it ages, as opposed to using chemical agents to speed the process along.

It's the same high protein flour used by professional bakers and it produces high, well-textured loaves of bread just as well as it produces light, airy baked goods. And it was great in these crusts!

To go alongside, I made a quick salad of cucumber, chickpeas, goat milk feta from a local farm, and fresh herbs.

I put it together while the quiches were in the oven, and it was the perfect side dish to round out the meal.

These are both recipes I'll be making again and again.

Mediterranean Quiche Duo with Cucumber-Chickpea Salad

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• Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

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Description

Sun-dried tomatoes and spinach flavor these 2 quiches - one to share and one for your mini sous chef. Perfect for Easter brunch!

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Ingredients

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For crust:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough (I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
• 3-6 tablespoons very cold water (I put an ice cube in a small bowl of cold water to keep it well chilled)

For filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
• 6 ounces baby spinach
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for top.
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used whole)
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup dried sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), sliced

For salad:

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
• 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used a goat milk variety)
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. For crust: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening thoroughly with a pastry cutter or fork. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time and stir together until all of the flour is moistened and dough can be gathered into a ball. Form ⅔ of the dough into a large, flattened round and the remaining ⅓ into a smaller, flattened round.
2. Sprinkle a light layer of flour on a large, clean work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the large round of dough until the it's about 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Lightly fold the dough into quarters and transfer it to the pie plate. Unfold the dough and ease it into the pan and crimp the edges as desired, trimming off any excess dough. Prick the bottom of the pie shell several times with a fork. Repeat this process with the smaller round of dough to form the smaller pie.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the 2 unbaked pie crusts side-by-side on a large, rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
4. For filling: Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic and shallot and sauté until fragrant and starting to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach wilts down. Remove from heat.
5. While the spinach cools, beat eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
6. Place ⅔ of the spinach mixture on the bottom of the large pie crust, spreading it out into an even layer. Place remaining ⅓ on the small crust. Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes over top. Gently pour egg mixture on top, add a little more cracked black pepper on top of each and bake for 45-50 minutes, until eggs are set. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes before slicing.
7. For salad: In a medium bowl, toss together chickpeas, cucumbers, oil, vinegar, dill, parsley and feta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve slices of quiche with salad alongside.

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Notes

Makes 1 (9.5-inch) and 1 (5-inch) quiche

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 482
• Sugar: 3.5 g
• Sodium: 708.9 mg
• Fat: 32.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 9.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 31.8 g
• Fiber: 4.1 g
• Protein: 17.6 g
• Cholesterol: 202.8 mg

Keywords: quiche, spinach, eggs

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