Yard Sale Quiche

My newest entry into my month-long celebration of pies and pie-like inventions, sweet and savory. February is National Pie Month. Did you know?

I’ve written about Yard Sale Quiche before. Basically it’s my silly name for “Clear Out Your Fridge and Throw It In A Pie Crust”………quiche :0) It’s a wonderful last minute dinner recipe, and it’s amazing how many vegetables you can get rid of, and how much more refrigerator real estate you can acquire, when making this quiche. I’ve used up leftover roasted vegetables, those last few pickles in the jar, that last little bit of feta cheese that no one wants to seem to eat, those last few stalks of celery, and carrots, and greens, and even those last few olives you bought for martinis but have sat forlornly in their little plastic Harris Teeter container mocking you for weeks.

For this quiche, I took inspiration from Chow.com’s Kale and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata. Except I made mine in a pie crust, and added some other stuff. That’s the great thing about quiche: 1) They’re very forgiving 2) You can try lots of different taste combinations……because they’re very forgiving. Throw caution to the wind home cooks! Experiment! It's a Yard Sale!

Yard Sale Quiche

1 prepared pie dough, thawed (or if you're an expert, homemade, but I ain't :)
2-3 cups leftover, sauteed kale, cut into bite-sized pieces (sauteed with tons of garlic & olive oil)
1 whole roasted red pepper, cut into thin strips
8 eggs, beaten with 1 generous slog, buttermilk
1 lg pinch of salt and black pepper
1 lg pinch of crushed red pepper
1 lg pinch of dried thyme
1 generous handful of grated cheddar cheese

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the thawed pie dough in a shallow pie pan, pinching around the edges to make a nice border.
• Drop the handful of cheese in the pan, spreading it around.
• Dump all the vegetables in the pan.
• Add the salt, crushed red pepper, and thyme. Maybe some black pepper too.
  
• Dump the eggs over the vegetables.
• Bake about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. I let it cook about 25 minutes, then placed foil over it so the crust wouldn't burn
• EAT!

Baking Soundtrack:

Old School Hip-Hop: Think Eric B. & Rakim, Notorious B.I.G., Wyclef Jean, Black Sheep, and Snoop.

In other “pie” news, a friend sent me this news story about an enterprising young hipster-doofus* in Seattle who has taken it upon himself to deliver pies by bike. Would that work here? We've certainly got our share of hipsters. And pie is the trendiest food trend right now. And before you ask, yes, he has a vegan option...........Cheers!



*my nickname for youngsters of the male persuasion these days who sport thick glasses, beards, ride bikes, wear fedoras, pork pie hats, and/or ski caps, jeggings when they shouldn't, and probably live in Brooklyn, Seattle, or Portland. Called so with much love in my heart because I remember when I too was one, oh so very long ago :D No beard of course, but lots of black, dyed hair, pointy shoes and tunic tops over leggings……SO glad those are back in style! Just wish I had some kids to embarrass…

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Red Velvet Lovey-Dovey Pie.

I've been a bad, bad girl (hearing Fiona Apple just then :). I've spent the entire month of February in the winter doldrums, which isn't unusual. I tend to hibernate then anyway, hiding out under my fake sunlight, clutching desperately at every little ray, hoping Puxsatawny Phil gives us some good news. Doing *anything* rather than what I should be doing (i.e., WRITING). My closets never looked so tidy.

Since I've been on "injured reserve" with the bad neck and all, it isn't too unusual my writing would suffer......except a few weeks ago the neck started to feel better. Then the weather got warmer, which is a good thing. My spirits perked up, I started making plans, making lists, doing a little writing.....then Spring Fever hit like a sledgehammer. "Idon'twannawrite!" I whined. It's too nice out! Okay, I'll write....right after I shop for deeply discounted designer handbags online. Right after this movie. Right after.....

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National Pie Month.

February is National Pie Month! Several food sites have declared pie to be the new trend for 2011. The month of pie in the year of pie. The mind reels! I should probably do something to celebrate. Being a food blogger and all.

My gal Elena over at "Biscuits and Such" has vowed to create two pies a week, one sweet, one savory. You might remember her from the Charlottesville Pie Fest in October where she won awards and praise for her Caramel Green Tomato Pie.  I figured I could manage at least one a week...being a pie baking apprentice and all. I may do one extra....February is such a short month :)

First up? An oldie but a goody. Craig Claiborne's Pecan Pie. I made it for Thanksgiving where it was promptly devoured by the Hubby. When I told him I was doing one pie a week for the month of February his first remark was, "Um, will you be making that pecan pie?" This pie has the two components I think make a great pie. It's easy to make. It's delicious. Really really delicious.

Next week I'll be attempting Mollie Cox Bryan's take on Red Velvet Cake. Her Red Velvet Lovey-Dovey Pie seems perfect for "Valentimes". Plus, um...............it's RED VELVET PIE! HELLO?

Wish me luck. In the meantime, if you find you just can't bring yourself to *make* pie, how about buying some? In a jar. Marijean Jaggers, another local pie maven, has begun selling jars of her brownie pie. Nom nom nom nom...put me down for two at LEAST.

Craig Claiborne’s Pecan Pie

(click the link - the story behind the recipe is great)

Pastry for a one-crust pie
1¼ cups dark corn syrup
1 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
¼ cup (one half stick) butter
4 eggs
1½ cups coarsely chopped or broken pecan meats
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup unbroken pecan halves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a 10-inch pie tin or plate with pastry. Neatly trim or flute the edge of the pastry. Prick the bottom of the pastry with the tines of a fork. Place the pie tin or plate in the freezer for 10 minutes. Do not freeze.

Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with rice or dried beans. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pull out waxed paper with rice or beans. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, combine the corn syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add the butter and stir until it melts. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat. Pour in the syrup mixture, stirring. Add the chopped pecan meats and vanilla extract. Stir to blend well. Pour this filling into the partially baked pie crust. Arrange the pecan halves over the top.

Place in the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the filling is set. It will be soft and jiggly, a little bit like jello and will set as it cools.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Tips from the cook: (the cook being Sue Doeden, author of the article)

• I didn’t measure out ½ cup pecan halves for decorating the top of the pie. I used just what I needed to make the design I wanted.
• Use a crust shield to protect the crust from getting too dark, or make your own shield by cutting a foil ring, using a light touch to place it on the crust. Since the recipe I received did not include the pastry, I made my own and included instructions for the way I baked the crust in this recipe.
• Served warm, the pie is like pudding. At room temperature it is soft and flavorful. Right out of the refrigerator, it’s like eating candy.

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Great Depression Cooking.

...with Clara. As I work on a few new posts, enjoy this little gem from YouTube. Today's recipe is "Pasta with Peas." While watching you'll learn:

1. It's inexpensive.
2. It's easy to make.
3. I'm a sucker for food history.
4. Clara is adorable. Just want to give her a big ol' hug.

So don't let me hear from anyone that you can't afford to spend the money or the time to make "real food" for dinner. If 91-year-old Clara can do it, anyone can. When you're finished with "Pasta and Peas" subscribe to her channel and learn tons of other recipes Clara's family used to survive the Great Depression. Cheers!

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