it is finally that time of year when cool season leafy green crops are coming in waves again. but, even as a mainly herbivorous minded eater, i can only tolerate so many salads. luckily, i have a diffusion process that i call quiche eating. my garden is still inundated with rainbow colored stalks of swiss chard, kale, and spinach. these plants are cold hearty and can tolerate temperatures as low as fifteen degrees which is great news for my belly and lucrative for local farmers. i work with and for farmers- greens are never lacking in my kitchen. while my original recipe is made with spinach, i have been experimenting with the other green things that seem to be reproducing up here in growing zone 6b! think turnip greens, beet greens, and kohlrabi greens. this recipe is versatile and lends itself to experimentation which is one reason that it has been part of my repertoire for a decade.

Curious Kitty

while this recipe bears absolutely no resemblance to the piping hot, custardy, melt your mouth off quiche that the French are famous for, it is simple enough for unsupervised young chefs  to make and also can pack in a pretty serious nutritional profile in a delicious way.  this recipe also holds a certain gravity for me. it would not even be melodramatic to say that it has been pivotal to every direction that my professional life has taken. and, i would not be lying if i told you that quiche has been cited as one of my “five food groups” by respectable sources.

Farmer’s Eggs

• 10 oz of green leafy goodness. this can be swiss chard leaves, fresh spinach, beet greens, whatever you have in the kitchen. this can even be a ten ounce package of frozen chopped spinach- just make sure it is thawed and drained dry. really, i mean squeezed dry. a wet quiche makes nobody happy. i tend to use fresh spinach and lay a few leaves on top for aesthetic value.
• one cup of milk. i usually use rice milk but this is only because I never have real milk in the house. a creamier variety of milk would certainly be the best. rock out that one percent. fat equals flavor, yo. sometimes i substitute yogurt for milk for a little extra tang and thickness.
• three eggs. The FDA cannot decide if eggs are good for us or not. allow yourself to DO IT.
• two tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• one tablespoon sifted flour or yogurt
• 4-6 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
• salt or pepper to taste if you do that kind of thing
• one 9 inch pie crust

Baking time? 45 minutes

Oven temperature? 350 degrees

Servings? Four

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine three beaten eggs and one cup of milk.  Stir in two tablespoons of melted butter, and flour or yogurt until completely combined. Next add 10 ounces of chopped greens. Check to make sure greens are uniformly spread into the egg mixture. Then, and only then, mix in the feta cheese. Pour entire mixture into your 9 inch pie crust and bake for 45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean.