Spinach, Mushroom, & Ham Quiche

Remember when I finished White Collar-- and my world felt empty ;)  On Facebook, my go to source during boredom, a friend of mine posted about the show Suits. I watched an episode of Suits randomly and it was pretty good. So, when I saw that post, I decided to ask the hubby to get me the first two seasons, because sadly it is not on instant streaming through Netflix ::sadness:: I watched all of Season 1 in about 2 days and I am now almost done with Season 2 :) The show is awesome! Right up the White Collar alley. Isn't it amazing how many shows can be mystery solving  without being a police show- in this case it is lawyers. I highly reccomend the show. Though, Numb3rs is my favorite show, since it is so nerdy.

I now have to tell you about my lame slip-up. In the same post that I told you about White Collar, I mentioned that I ordered and sent out almost all of my wedding thank you's. When I went to the post office, I apparently left the unaddressed ones there (on a Thursday) and then I did not notice that I left them there until Monday! And by then, they told me they could not find it. I was in a panic because I needed to send a thank you to the hubby's former boss, who coincidentally, got me one of my favorite presents-- a Cuisinart food processor! Thankfully, a week later, the post office called me letting me know that they found it! YAY!

One of the best parts of food blogging, is always trying new recipes. Though I think that may be more of the hubby's favorite part, since he is definitely one of those people, who never orders the same thing from a restaurant, always wanting to try something different. Well, I wanted to try something very much outside box. I have only made a pie once- and the most difficult part of a pie is the crust. I also realized that I have never made a quiche. What better way to eat two cupcakes with one mouth ;)....then to make a quiche, because then I get my quiche and another go at making a pie crust. Plus, I get to say I made a quiche- now doesn't that sound very French fancy? This recipe is by no means "simple" but it is straight forward and yummy.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM, & HAM QUICHE

Crust from Add a Pinch

Quiche adapted from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 400F Degrees

CRUST
1 1/2 c. of flour (+ little more for rolling)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. shortening
1/4c. butter
4-5 tbsp. of ice water
olive oil for brushing

FILLING
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic 
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 large eggs, whisked
1 c. milk
3/4 c. grated Parmesan (or other grated cheese)
1 box (or bag) of frozen spinach, thawed and drained (completely dry)
2/3 c. diced ham
1/2 c. Mozarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust:
First, butter a 9 inch pie pan and set aside. Then in a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Dump into the bowl of  a food processor, fitted with pastry tool (i.e., the plastic blade). Then cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles a course sand. Gradually, one tbsp. at a time, add in ice water to the mixture until a dough forms.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and kneed. Then, lightly flour the top of the pie dough and cover the top with a sheet of plastic wrap.Rolling from the center, roll the dough into 1/8inch thick circle. Remove the plastic wrap, and gently fold dough over and across the pie pan. Press the bottom and sides of dough to conform to the pie pan. Shape the pie crust edge to desired design. I chose to be simple and just use a fork to create a creased edge. Cover the pie crust with a piece of plastic wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and lightly pierce the bottom and sides of the pie crust with a fork. Brush pie crust with a light coat of olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

For the Filling:
Before beginning, reduce oven to 350F degrees. In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in garlic and saute until fragrant and slightly browned. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper to taste, and then toss in mushrooms and saute for 8-10 minutes. At this pint, the mushrooms should have released all their moisture, and no water should remain at the bottom of the skillet. Set mushrooms aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs. Then whisk in milk and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Assemble the quiche as follows: cover the bottom of the pie crust with the thawed and completely drained spinach (this is important- you do not want to make your crust soggy with wet spinach). Next, cover the spinach with a layer of mushrooms, followed by a layer of ham. Once layers have been made, pour milk and egg mixture over the layers, until completely submerged (batter should be slightly below the brim of the the pie dish). Sprinkle Mozarella cheese over the top of the quiche. If it looks really full, that is okay, this quiche does not rise very much.. 

Place pie on  on baking sheet for easy transfer into and out of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour until the top of the quiche is golden brown and center is solid.  

•  After 30 minutes on the top rack, I transferred the quiche to the bottom rack. At which point, if you have a pie crust protector (so it does not burn) you should use it. If not, do what I did: Place a lined baking sheet on the rack above the quiche, and position so it is directly over the quiche. Allow to completely cool before serving.

Enjoy,
Chika