Grow Your Food

Recipe: Farmer's Market Quiche

Farmer's Market Quiche

I planted my first garden a few weeks ago. Well technically not my first garden. I had an herb garden last summer, which did pretty well considering my thumb's serious lack of green. But that little garden was composed of planters and starter plants so I didn't have to think so hard about it. This year I actually dug soil out of the ground and threw some seeds in there and hoped for the best. Thank god it was such a cold spring, because I started digging a little late. Anyways, the seeds have been in gestation for a few weeks now and I can actually watch the progress. My carrots are doing the best but I have yet to see progress from my beets or the spring mix.

Fresh picked vegetables are my ultimate choice for eating. Lettuce will never taste as tender, carrots will never be as sweet. The longer the veggie is out of the ground worse the taste gets. Not that store bought vegetables are bad, but they are much much better fresh. I'm sure my carrots will turn out fine, but for the rest of my diet I will turn to the professionals. Which means, this summer I will be a frequent shopper at the farmer's market.

Purple and green asparagus and green garlic

I especially love the Green City Market because of the variety and quality of the produce and the great artisan products for sale. That is not the say that the other markets around town don't have the same stuff, but the first time I saw a purple carrot or radish with a tie-dye design was at the Green City Market. It's so much fun to wander around and look at all the familiar and rare produce. I get more inspiration from the veggies at the farmer's market than I do anywhere else. It refreshes my point of view and I get a jolt of creativity any time I shop there.

The last time I went I picked up some beautiful and tender purple asparagus, fresh and crinkly spinach, and fragrant green garlic. I had no idea what I was going to make, until I brought it home and examined my bags. In the end I decided to make a quiche. It seemed like the perfect way to join the three ingredients in a way that allows their flavor to shine.

Farmer's Market Quiche


For the crust:
6 oz flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 oz chilled butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg
2 tsp water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add butter and rub into the flour using your fingertips. Mix together until the flour looks like breadcrumbs. Make a well in the center.
2. Whisk eggs and water together. Pour in the middle of the flour mixture. Mix together to form a soft dough, working from the inside of the well outward.
3. After the dough has just come together place on a floured surface and lightly kneed the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes before using.

Slicing up green garlic

For the filling:
4 (or about 2 cups) eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
4 stalks asparagus, green or purple or both, sliced into 1" pieces and blanched
Good handful of spinach
1 stalk green garlic, minced
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. Place in a greased pie pan (about 9" in diameter). Trim off extra dough from edge. Crimp edge of dough and place in oven. Par cook for about 10 minutes.
2.  Turn oven down to 300. Whisk eggs, cream, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper together until fully mixed. You can use a blender for this if you choose. Lightly saute green garlic in olive oil in a small pan. Arrange asparagus, spinach, garlic and cheese in par-cooked dough. Pour quiche mixture over the vegetable mixture.
3. Place quiche in oven and cook until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. To test place a small skewer or toothpick in the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean, the quiche is done. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Brunch Should Not Just Be Limited to the Time Between Breakfast and Lunch

Recipe: Spinach, Tomato, Corn and Ricotta Omelette

Around here, brunch is everyone's favorite meal. Walk outside your door on a Saturday or Sunday morning around 10 or 11 o'clock and you'll see dozens of people hoofing it down the street on their way to their favorite brunch spot. My favorites include (but are not limited to) Uncommon Ground, for their exceptionally spicy chilaquiles, Takashi, for their ramen noodles and to see my old boss, and Bakin' and Eggs who has a Bacon Flight and I'm guilty of ordering it. What I love most about going out to brunch, besides the endless coffee refills, are those perfect brunch staples: omelets and breakfast potatoes. Everyone has their favorites, some people crave a mile high stack of pancakes to soak up their Saturday nights, some people go for the heathy and bland oatmeal option, while others like a perfectly scrambled egg, but for me I like that soft mixture of eggs, vegetables and cheese folded together like a little breakfast present and given to me with a crunchy and salty breakfast potato on the side. (Speaking of breakfast potatoes check out Frasca. They make a great hash, that is loaded with cream and parmesean. It's not for the weak of heart, but go for it if you're up for the challenge.)

But, brunch food doesn't have to be eaten only in the haze that is Sunday morning. I like to eat it at any time of the day. The omelette is my go-to meal when I've eaten all the leftovers and I don't feel like cooking much. All you need is a few eggs, some vegetable ends, and a potato to have the makings of a delicious and easy dinner.

The omelette is a tricky dish to master. I still find myself starting out to make an omelette and ending up with more of a veggie scramble but it all goes to the same place, right? So, don't worry if you screw up your first (or your hundredth) try.

Even though it's March, the fresh ingredients in this dish make me yearn for summer. If you're feeling adventurous try making the ricotta yourself. I wasn't at the time and I find store bought ricotta to be just as nice.

Spinach, Tomato, Corn and Ricotta Omelette


2 eggs
A splash of milk
2 TBS frozen corn, defrosted
2 TBS red onion, diced
2 TBS tomatoes, diced
1 large handful spinach
2 TBS ricotta
1 TBS butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat 2 TBS of canola or olive oil in a skillet. Add red onions and sweat on medium low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and corn and cook a few minutes longer, until the tomatoes have softened. Remove from heat and reserve.

2. Heat rest of oil in a clean saute pan. Wilt spinach in pan and mix with corn, tomato, and onion mixture. Season with a little salt and pepper.

3. Whisk eggs, milk, and salt and pepper together until whites are fully blended with the whites. Heat butter in a non stick pan and add eggs all at once. Briskly jolt the pan back and forth over the flame, as if you were sauteing something, until the eggs have covered the entire size of the pan. Cook until eggs have set and remove from heat. Do not be afraid to undercook the eggs. An omelette should be nice and moist. Once the eggs have set, remove pan from heat and fold omelette on to a plate. Top with corn mixture and crumble a little bit of ricotta over the top. Enjoy with a simple salad of mixed greens or a nice crunchy piece of bread and butter.