When I was growing up, my mom made Quiche Lorraine all the time. I didn't know who Lorraine was, but I was pretty smitten with the eggy pie loaded with ham and cheese baked into a tender crust. It was a dinner item and went well alongside a green salad. It wasn't until my adult years that I realized many people ate quiche as a brunch dish. It's versatility is just one of its treasures.
Needless to say, I love quiche, but I'm not a fan of making pie dough. It causes me stress and while I've had a few good runs, I'd rather skip the process if I can. However, that's not to say that I'll buy frozen pie dough. Nope, not me. I haven't found one that's as good as homemade. So when I spotted a recipe for a quiche last year that didn't require a crust - just a light dusting of bread crumbs, I was sold.
I liked this crustless quiche so much that I've made it several times of the course of the year. Often, its ingredients are based on what I've got in the fridge - it's a good fridge clean-up meal. This version has a load of broccoli and feta, but like I said, the joys of a quiche are in its versatility. Add diced cooked potatoes, crumbled cooked bacon and some grated swiss cheese. Or spinach and sauteed mushrooms. Or go for the old Quiche Lorraine standby. It's all good. And because there's no crust required, it's available on a whim and healthier to boot. Not a bad trade-off if you ask me.
Crustless Broccoli & Feta Quiche
butter, for greasing pie plate
2 tablespoons of bread crumbs
1 head of broccoli
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
a pinch of salt & good grind of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons of minced red onion
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Butter the bottom and sides of a pie plate and dust with bread crumbs. Set aside.
2. Break broccoli into florets and chop the stem into bits. Steam until tender-crisp and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs together, add in the milk salt and pepper and dill. Stir in the onions.
4. Pour egg mixture into the prepared pie plate and scatter the broccoli evenly over top. Do the same with the feta cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until eggs are set. Cut into wedges. Serves 4 - or 2 hungry appetites.
