Pieday Friday ~ Broccoli & ham quiche

I don’t know why I’ve never made quiche before. My whole life I’ve been too scared to make quiche from scratch – maybe it’s the worry that the eggs won’t set or that the pastry will go soggy or that it’s a complicated process – whatever the reason, I’ve reached this ripe old age and 3 years of recipe posts without ever attempting to bake a quiche. Unbelievable really, considering that (as a savoury lover) one of my favourite baked treats is quiche and I can’t get enough of my family’s homemade quiches – tuna, veggie, cheese and ham – I love them all and could probably eat a whole full-size quiche to myself. Well, the fear has finally been conquered and I enjoyed my very first Cassie-made quiche meal this week… And it tasted gooooood!

I went for a standard base of onion and cheese then added in slices of my favourite ham. Broccoli was on special offer at the market this week so we’d bought 6 heads without any plans of what to eat it with so I used up a whole head of florets in this quiche. Lots of recipes call for cream and crème fraiche etc but I stuck with a basic egg, milk and cheese mixture to get a slightly healthier filling. Here’s the recipe:

Make up a batch of pastry (see my recipe for pastry here) and line a pie or cake tin – preferably one with a removable base which will make it easier to get the quiche out when it is cooked. Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam for a few minutes to soften. Dice an onion and sautee in a little Fry Light until golden. Spread the onion over the uncooked pastry base, layer up slices of ham and add the softened broccoli florets. Whisk together 4 eggs with 1 & 1/2 cups milk and 100g lightest soft cheese. Add a little salt and pepper seasoning then pour into the pastry base. Grate a little mature cheddar on top if you like, but it’s just as good without! Bake in the oven at 175 degrees for 30 minutes or until the centre is set.

It was so much easier to make than I’d imagined in the past and I’ll certainly be making lots more quiche in the future. Enjoy chilled with a big salad or get stuck in while it’s still warm with baked beans (my favourite way to eat quiche)! Let me know if you have a go at making this recipe.