Good Things Come to Those Who Wait...Like Zucchini Quiche

Now, as I sit making notes about my dinner tonight before I devour it, I remember the worst part of baking: the wait. I decided to make a zucchini quiche, with feta cheese and, yes, more fried pepperonis. Sounds like an instant win, but ugh, the wait! Currently my belly lingers on the edge of starvation. While stove top and oven dishes alike can produce mouth-watering scents that hold you captive in the kitchen, there is no taste testing something that’s baking. With building anticipation, you try to pass the time by fumbling about with dishes in the sink, reading the paper or maybe even counting down the minutes on the timer. But basically, it’s torture for the cook. The other difficulty is that baking is less forgiving. You’ve got one shot before it starts on its journey, and you can’t help it along the way. The wait gives you enough time to start second guessing your cooking…I put in that last cup of sugar, right? What about the salt? It’s not out… It’s a fickle process, more of a science – reason #3 why I don’t like it; I’m more of an artsy type. Yet, it is still essential to holistic cooking, thus must be mastered, no matter how long it takes.

As it turned out the quiche was excellent – very light and fluffy, as well as surprisingly filling. I was curious to experiment with Feta cheese because most quiches call for Swiss, Mozzarella or Provolone. Feta provided that nice bite that mixed well with the Italian spices and the smokiness of the pepperoni. Quiches are great ways to use up or stretch ingredients when you start running low. The honey crisp apple that I paired with the quiche was a great compliment to the meal; I would also suggest biscuits or muffins as well. Overall, well worth the wait.

Zucchini Quiche with Feta Cheese and Crumbled Pepperoni

Ingredients:

15 pepperonis (I used turkey pepperoni)

1 T olive oil

½ zucchini, shredded

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 t dried basil

1 t dried oregano

Salt and pepper

2 eggs

1 c milk

2 T flour

4 oz feta cheese

Instructions:

1. In skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Add pepperonis when oil is hot; fry for about 3-5 min.

4. Shred and chop veggies; take out pepperoni, place on paper towel.

5. Add veggies to skillet, cook until tender, 5-7 min.

6. Sprinkle in basil, oregano, salt and pepper and pepperonis. Put in bottle of casserole dish. Do not pack down.

7. In separate bowl, beat eggs with whisk.

8. Add milk and flour slowly, whisk until well blended. [Not clumps of flour]

9. Pour over veggies, add cheese, mix.

10. Bake in oven for 35-45 min.

Makes about 2 c of quiche. NOMS: 8