Being back in my hometown truly is a joy. Granted, I miss Jordan dreadfully, as he is still in the Chicago area being our financial rock, but my family is incredibly dear to me and so spending any amount of time with them warms my heart. Particularly when there is food involved… by all means, we are Italian. Speaking of Italians, what better way to spend a day than in the kitchen with a man who can actually claim that most beautiful of ethnicities in full. Yes, he speaks well of his roots often, but he wouldn’t be Italian if he didn’t.
The dish in mind? Quiche. This melt in your mouth breakfast delight doesn’t come from Grandma Lucrezio – although perhaps someday I will share how she used to make her meatballs – but the essence of Italy is still duly noted. My dad has dabbled in the art of quiche for some time. So much so that my siblings made a “Got Quiche?” tee shirt for him. It’s true. Well enough chatter boxing. Time to get cooking!
The Basics:
Pie Plate (ungreased)
Rolling Pin
Whisk
Bowl for Egg filling
Sauté Pan
Mixer (optional)
Scissors (optional)
The Ingredients
for the crust:
1 1/3 cp. flour
½ tsp. salt
½ cp. Crisco (aka. shortening)
3-4 tbsp ice cold water
for the quiche:
Olive Oil
Thyme
We’ll start with the crust, naturally. My mom uses her hands. My dad uses the KitchenAid. Either one will work. I have always made crusts with my hands, but I must admit, the mixer does a nice job and keeps any dough from sneaking up into my fingernails. (Eh, gross I know. Sorry! Though I promise that part doesn’t make it into the finished product.) Since this blog is titled “In the Kitchen with Dad”, we’ll go Dad’s way, so the mixer it is!
First off, set the oven to 400˚ F.
Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Never pack down your flour, but always fill your measuring cup nice and lightly to keep the air throughout. By the way, yes that flour is stored in an old (old) ice cream bucket. That’s some frugal country love for you right there. Oh and while we’re noticing things, my mom’s name is Donna. Everything’s a family affair in the Lucrezio home!
Add your remaining Crisco and blend on low once again, this time only until the shortening is about the size of large peas.
Add your 3 [or so] tbsp of ice cold water and begin mixing on low once more until the dough binds itself enough to remove from the bowl with your hands and form a nice ball. (You don’t want the mixer to work the dough too much or your crust will not be as flaky!)
Roll out your dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Dad likes to keep the rolling pin in the fridge up until this point, as the colder surface contact makes for smoother rolling.
Wrap your dough around the rolling pin, lift up, and unwrap onto your pie plate.
Very GENTLY maneuver the dough into the pie plate. Once formed to the plate, trim off the largest edges. My dad likes to use scissors, but your hands will work just fine here as well. Tuck underneath the rim any overhang and use the remaining pieces to form a nice rounded edge. Some fancy finger work and you have a lovely looking crust.
Prick the crust thoroughly with a fork and place in your 400˚ oven for 10 minutes.
Alright, NOW we can get to our yummy filling.
Put a touch of olive oil in the bottom of your sauté pan to lightly coat.
Add fresh spinach until wilted and set aside.
Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add milk and sour cream, whisking some more until nice and creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.
Take your slightly pre-baked pie crust and add the goodies! Dad fills it in right from the open oven. I say, why not? (Although you will lose heat by keeping the oven door open, so simply keep that in mind.)
Reduce your oven to a temp of 360˚ F. Fill the bottom with your sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and cheeses. Sprinkle with Thyme, and a touch more salt and pepper. Pour over your egg mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes, although every oven is a little different, so be sure to check with a toothpick at about 25 minutes in. You want your quiche to come out a tad bit moist so as not to dry out the egg mixture, but not too wet so that the eggs aren’t cooked through enough. Your crust will have a slightly brown edge, and your cheese will create some beautiful golden pockets on the surface.
Mmm… behold the finished product! Daddy’s Quiche.
