Every year for Ostara I make my famous springtime quiche for brunch. This year was no different. For some reason I don't think about quiche very much between holidays but this time I realized something: I don't make quiche the way everyone else does. And I realized something else: my quiche is better. I had quiche at a party back in November and it was good, but it wasn't melt in your mouth, eyes roll back in your head, get out the way Old Man Tucker good like mine is. The family agrees, although this one doesn't like mushrooms and that one doesn't like asparagus & etc., so I got to brain-storming with my son all the various flavors of mom's famous quiche there could be and the result is this post.

First, all of my quiches can be made from a very simple basic recipe:
(I have no idea where I got this particular recipe! I can't find it in any of my cookbooks.)

1 pie crust
1 cup plain yogurt (nonfat if you worry about such things)
2 eggs
1 good handful whole wheat flour
1 cup shredded or crumbled cheese
1/4 tsp herbs (I like thyme)

You mix all this together and pour it over whatever chopped up fillings you have waiting in the bottom of the pie pan, or just pour it into an empty pie crust and call it a plain quiche -though you might need to double it to fill the crust. Then you top it with something decorative, pop it in the oven at 450 for 15 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 for 30 minutes and voila, you have quiche. It helps to have a bowl of water in the oven while you're baking the quiche, but I don't think it's catastrophic if you don't.

The basic ingredients in quiche are spiritual, nurturing, protective and grounding. The cheese enhances the energy of whatever else you combine with it so quiche is a wonderful foil for magical cooking.

Variations:

Itty Bitty Quiches
Use your fingers to push the pie crust into muffin tins. You don't need to grease them ahead of time. Fill with your filling and go. Baking time will be shorter, so watch it. You can use this with any of the variations.

Springtime Quiche
(I posted this a long time ago at http://www.kitchenwitchcorner.com/recipe:springtime-quiche, you can find it there in more detail.)
Put sliced mushrooms and green onions in the bottom of the pan. The cheese in the yogurt mixture is cheddar, though Swiss is okay too. Pour the yogurt mixture over top the veggies and top with artfully arranged asparagus spears or green onions. Asparagus energy relates to both sex and grounding, mushrooms provide strength and courage. Onions are protective.

Spinach and Feta Quiche
The cheese in the yogurt mixture is feta, of course. You could replace the thyme with fresh oregano or cilantro, but I like thyme just fine. Use frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained and sliced green onions or very finely diced yellow onion. After pouring the yogurt mixture over the spinach, top with sliced tomatoes or black olives, or both, arranged in an attractive manner. Spinach provides strength and health, onions are protective.

Mexicali Quiche
Use cheddar, cheddar jack or Monterrey jack cheese. Use cilantro in place of the thyme. The veggies are bell peppers, jalapenos, onions and tomatoes. You could also mix in ground beef style soy crumbles, or chorizo sausage. Top with sliced tomatoes or bell peppers or both for an attractive presentation. This quiche contains a great deal of protective energy.

Ham & Potato Quiche
Steam or boil small, round waxy potatoes, like redskins until just tender, then slice and layer in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with chives. Top with ham, diced small or mix the diced ham in the yogurt mixture. You could also used bacon. Top with a sprinkling of chives or chive blossoms. This is gently protective and helps overcome bad habits. The use of preserved meat makes it particularly suitable for late winter and early spring occasions.

Sausage & Hashbrown Quiche
Use thawed frozen hash browns and chopped pork or vegetarian breakfast sausage for your bottom layer. Cheddar cheese is best for this. This is a gently protective dish that encourages compassion.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Quiche
Chop the broccoli & cauliflower small. Mix some of the broccoli florets into the yogurt mixture to make pretty green flecks. Use cheddar as your cheese. You could also put some ham in this. The energy in this dish supports inner strength and gentle, but effective, leadership.

By popular demand, I have been making quiche like crazy and I am going to add quiche to my menu rotation rather than saving it for a special occasion. It's a great way to use up extra veggies, after all. I suppose I'll add to this post as I make more successful experiments. I'd also be interested in hearing about any combinations other folks come up with!

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