Spinach and Feta Quiche

I realize that I posted a quiche recipe just a little while ago, but here’s another one anyway: no excuses, no apologies, no regrets. The basic formula is the same in its ratio of dairy and eggs, but this one has a vegetable in it. I also took down the butterfat in the filling by forgoing the luscious heavy cream and using low fat milk instead. It’s still really good. And some Parmigano-Reggiano makes up for it quite well, thank you.

While I love, love, love quiche, my relationship with pie crust has become decidedly love-hate. I want to make good pastry by hand, but find it time consuming, and when my crusts are lackluster at best, it’s really disappointing. (I try not to have rage.) For this quiche, I made my first attempt at the luxurious All Butter Pie Dough recipe in Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski. (I’m dying to have time to explore this book and this seemed like the proper place to start.)

This dough recipe is a labor of love, with the butter (much, much butter!) cut into the flour by hand, and the ice water-vinegar mixture worked in by hand. You may be able to do this with a food processor, but I wanted to experience this whole thing at its most primal level. About one third of the way through I was questioning my own sanity.

I used to make pie crusts this way, and I don’t remember finding them this painfully difficult. I won’t grumble, because I don’t want you to be discouraged by my laziness. I think everyone who has an interest in learning things about good food should do this for themselves. (And the engaging instructions and photos in Sister Pie are a great place to get your lessons.) In the end, the crust was probably the best I’ve ever made!

That being said, I did learn something important about making quiche, and blind baking crusts in general: you’re going to need to use visual cues and develop some experience to get the crust right. I didn’t bake mine long enough because I followed the instructions I used with the store-bought crust (and some other homemade crusts) that encased my quiches in the past. Ludwinski’s All Butter Pie Dough is special and needs more time in the oven, perhaps because of all of the butter, perhaps because the crust ends up thicker.

Ok, so quiche is much more than crust. Spinach and feta are wonderful with eggs, and this was a fabulously delicious example of that. I also stirred a dose of good parmesan (the Real stuff, actually, but use what you like) into the custard mixture, and its flavor permeates and enhances every bite. I didn’t miss the cream in the custard, but it would still be good if you like extra-rich quiche. The lighter mixture was perhaps a cleaner showcase for the spinach and the sharp, creamy feta cheese.

So, in the last few weeks, I’ve posted a rich and bacony quiche and a lighter vegetarian one. Hopefully this demonstrates the power that quiche has to take on many forms and suit many tastes and needs. Lots of things can be mixed in. It can be served at any meal. Once the crust is mastered (or purchased), it really doesn’t take very long or require many cooking tricks.

And I will continue on my pie crust Odyssey. If you really can’t do crust, there’s always frittata. Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Quiche with Parmesan

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

You can use your favorite pie crust recipe here. I tried out the recipe for the All Butter Pie Dough in the book Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski, which is similar to Pate Brisee from classic sources like Martha Stewart. I found that it really needed more time in the oven during the blind baking stage, and recommend you use color and other visual cues to determine whether your crust is properly blind baked rather than time.

1 pastry for a single-crust pie

4 eggs

1 ½ cup milk (I used 2%)

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

About 4 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, about ½ cup once squeezed

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Roll out the pastry dough into about a 12-inch circle. Drape into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges decoratively if desired.

2. Spray one side of a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place the foil, spray side down, on the pastry. Place pie weights inside the foil. Bake the crust at 450 F for 8 minutes, or until the crust is just beginning to brown. Remove the foil and the weights. Return to the oven and bake 4-10 minutes more, or until the crust is gently browned and appears dry. The time will depend on your crust recipe, with store-bought crusts taking less time than thicker, buttery homemade ones. When the crust is finished blind baking, remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.

3. While the crust is baking, begin the filling. Beat the eggs in a medium-size bowl. Beat in the milk. Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and Parmesan.

4. Place the pie plate with the baked crust onto a sheet pan. Spread the spinach evenly over the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle the feta cheese evenly over the spinach. Pour the egg mixture over all, being careful not to overflow the crust.

5.Place the quiche on the sheet pan into the oven and bake at 325 F for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is just set. A knife inserted in the center will come out without any liquid egg on it.

6. Remove from the oven and cool at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8 main-dish servings. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave to serve (the crust will not remain crisp, but all will still be pretty tasty.)

Other recipes like this one: Bacon Cheddar Quiche, Chard Tart with Feta Cheese and Olives, Spinach and Feta Souffle, Winter Squash and Kale Frittata with Feta

One year ago: Caraway Rye Soda Bread

Coming soon: Raspberry Cream Cheese Baked French Toast!

Spaghetti with Squash and Spinach

Pasta tossed with seasonal vegetables is weeknight cooking at its best. I’ve posted countless spring and summer versions of this on The Messy Apron, but not so many of the fall and winter variety. That’s where this simple and delicious recipe comes in.

This pasta toss is loaded with roasted winter squash, spinach sautéed with garlic, and a handful of walnuts. I like the sweetness of the squash combined with the earthiness of the spinach and crunchy walnuts. I also put in a splash of cider vinegar, but lemon juice, which was in the original inspiration recipe, might be even better.

In order for this dish to be utterly simple to throw together, the squash needs to be handled ahead of time. The way I managed it was to peel and cube the squash one day, roast it with olive oil and salt another day, and keep it in the refrigerator until I was ready to make pasta. This requires some planning ahead, but that’s the only way I can get just about anything interesting going. 

There are lots of ways to vary this, of course. I used a red kuri squash, but butternut would be even easier to peel and cut, and Hubbard or other similar sweet winter squash would be great, too. You could replace the spinach with kale or chard, or with any greens you like. I love the walnuts here, but they don’t need to be there if you don’t want them, or you could replace them with something like pine nuts or pumpkin seeds. I added a garnish of parmesan cheese to each serving of my spaghetti, but you could easily make it vegan by just leaving it off.

As a reward for my successful planning and preparations, I also have the rest of my squash all ready to go for another recipe. I’m thinking of this Squash and Pinto Bean Chili from the archives for some warm comfort as these autumn nights get colder. Mmmmm…..good eating this week!

Spaghetti with Winter Squash, Spinach, and Walnuts

Based on a recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen

2 cups cubed (about 1-inch), peeled winter squash

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided, plus more for the pasta water

½ pound spaghetti or other long pasta

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon crushed chile flakes

4 cups fresh spinach, chopped if leaves are large

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup chopped walnuts

Chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine the squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Toss together to coat the squash well. Transfer to a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 400 F until tender and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from the oven and set aside. (This can be done ahead of time. Cover and chill until ready to use.)

2. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until it is as tender as you like to eat it. Drain and keep warm.

3. In a large saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute, or until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Add the crushed chile flakes and cook about 15 seconds more.

4. Add the spinach and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach is completely wilted. Stir in the cooked squash. Add the cooked spaghetti and cider vinegar and toss to combine well.

5. Stir in the walnuts and remove from the heat. Garnish each serving with parsley and parmesan if desired.

Makes about 4 main dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Pasta with Shredded Winter Vegetables, Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

I’ve been mulling this recipe idea around for years. Actually, I only just realized that a time span of actual years was involved when I found some long-lost recipe notes, and I had written down this idea there. And, you know, I can’t remember what made me actually get around to trying it last month. That’s been happening a lot around there.

Anyway, the filling for these pasta shells is based on one of my favorite party dips, this savory and flavorful Spinach and Artichoke Dip. The dip on its own is a bit too rich to be eaten as a meal in itself (not that I haven’t done something similar), so I took the basic flavors and sort of diluted them a bit with a classic pasta filling, ricotta cheese.

The result was pleasantly garlicky and cheesy, but not as intense as the dip, which is appropriate for a baked pasta main dish, I think. I was pleasantly surprised, not because I didn’t know that the spinach and artichokes and Parmesan and mozzarella and ricotta would be great together, or that they would make a good pasta filling, but because it came out so well the first time I threw it together.

Okay, so that’s sort of the disclaimer. This recipe isn’t exactly well-tested. While I thought it was tasty and balanced, it probably needed a pinch of salt here and there (I included that in the recipe below.) If I have a chance to give it another fling, I might try adding more artichoke hearts. I can also think of a few variations that drift away from the original recipe inspiration. As it is now, however, this is a solid dish. It could probably be doubled to feed a crowd, and the leftovers are great if you’re feeding just a few, as I usually do.

And an added bonus for this writer: I’ve overcome my fear of stuffing noodle shells. It’s not so bad. I hardly even made a mess!

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

You could chop and cook fresh spinach or mess with fresh artichokes, but frozen spinach and canned or frozen artichokes are just fine.

12-14 large pasta shells

for the filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon pepper

pinch salt, if desired

5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ of a 14-16 ounce can artichoke hearts (about 4 hearts), drained and chopped

for the sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

pinch salt, if desired

½ cup mozzarella cheese

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water in batches until cooked but still firm. Carefully remove from the water to a plate and set aside while preparing the filling.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta, egg, cream cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan, 2 cloves garlic, pepper and a pinch of salt, if desired. Process until smooth. Add the spinach and pulse until well-combined. Add the chopped artichokes and pulse just until distributed. Set aside.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-size saucepan. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is very smooth. Cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil (this could take 15 minutes or so, but watch carefully). Cook about 1 minute more or until the mixture has thickened.

3. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray or grease it as desired. Spread about 1/3 of the cooked sauce over the bottom of the dish. Spoon the ricotta mixture evenly into the cooked shells. Arrange them on the sauce in the casserole dish.

4. Pour or spoon the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells. Cover with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella. Cover the dish and bake 30 minutes at 350 F. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more or until bubbly and lightly browned in a few places.

Makes about 4 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Quinoa and Spinach Casserole, Spinach Custard Pie, Spinach and Feta Souffle