Savory Sunday: Spinach Mushroom Quiche with Fish Peppers

Guest post by Shelby Smith

A perfect recipe for Sunday brunch is quiche—it’s warm and comforting. Quiche can be filled with anything. The fillings can be made in advance and can be both vegetarian and for meat lovers.

    To give this recipe a little heat, I adding a bit of chopped 'Fish' Peppers from the Washington Gardener Magazines community garden plot. These peppers are small and the darker the red color, the hotter they are. Adding a subtle heat to your recipes expands the flavor and can give the dish a whole different profile.    

This recipe was inspired by Chef John from www.foodwishes.blogspot.com. You can check out his YouTube channel at Food Wishes.

Ingredients

• Fresh or pre-made pie crust. (Tip: I used pre-made puff pastry for a flaky crust.)
• 4 large button mushrooms sliced.
• 1 cup of fresh spinach.
• 1 small onion sliced.
• 1 'Fish' pepper minced (or other hot variety).
• ½ cup of diced, cooked bacon.
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup of milk
• ¼ tsp of salt and pepper
• 1 pinch Herbes de Provence (a gift from local members of the Herb Society of America)
• 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Blind bake your pre-made or home-made pie crust by baking it ¾ of the way until its not quite turning light brown. When done, let cool, but keep the oven on.
• In a medium pan, sweat the onions and mushrooms on medium heat until soft.
• Reduce heat and sweat your spinach until soft. Add half of your salt and pepper.
• Turn off heat and mix in your chopped 'Fish' pepper.
• Beat your eggs, milk, herbs, and the rest of your salt and pepper in a separate bowl.
• Layer 2/3 of your vegetables, 1/3 bacon, and 2/3 cheese in your crust evenly.
• Pour in your egg mixture until it just covers your first layer.
• Layer the rest of your veggies, bacon, and cheese, then pour over the rest of egg mixture to just cover your last layer. Don’t let the egg mixture go over your crust.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until it is just set. Shake your pan gently. It should just slightly wiggle in the middle.
• Let the quiche cool a bit and serve when it’s warm.

This can be served with a side of toast for breakfast or a fresh salad for lunch. Adding the peppers gives it just the kick it needs. 'Fish' peppers can be added to anything, really, like broths, soups, or stews. You can even preserve them by letting them dry in the sun or store them in olive oil. I hope this recipe will leave you full and ready for a Sunday nap. Enjoy!

"Savory Sunday" is a new weekly blog series with seasonal recipes from the garden.

About the Author:

Shelby Smith is a senior double major in multi-platform journalism and film studies at the University of Maryland College Park. She was a sports copy-editor for a campus publication called Unwind Magazine and a writer at The Campus Current newspaper at Anne Arundel Community College.