Quiche Florentine

 

You’d be hard pressed, I think, to find someone who hasn’t heard of quiche. What was a bit of a rarity when I was a child is now pretty much everywhere. There’s much to like about quiche. It’s inexpensive, can make use of whatever you happen to have in the fridge, can have crust…or not, and can be served cold or hot. I find it’s a wonderful way to use up ingredients of which I may have over bought, and don’t want to see go to waste. That was the inspiration for this quiche, namely, the bag of fresh baby spinach that had gotten shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten.Florentine Quiche

 1 9-inch pie crust, blind baked*

1 T. olive oil

2 medium Melissa’s shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. shredded cheese, your choice, I used cheddar

3 c. fresh baby spinach

1 T. flour

½ c. whole milk

½ c. heavy cream

4 large eggs, beaten  

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. white pepper

Few gratings 

fresh nutmeg

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Blind bake pie crust. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive. Add garlic and shallots, and sauté until the shallots are transparent, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and stir gently until cooked down.

In a small dish, take 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk together with the flour until the flour is dissolved. Combine the slurry with the rest of the milk, heavy cream, and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Layer the vegetables and cheese in the prepared pie crust. Slowly and carefully pour the liquid over top.

 Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes until the center of the quiche is cooked through. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

*To blind bake a pie crust,place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pie pan on top of your crust. Place pie weights, dried beans, or rice on top of parchment and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove and set aside the weights and parchment paper. Prick the bottom of the pie crust several time with a fork. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

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Spinach, Beet, and Pear Salad with Raspberry Mustard Vinaigrette

 

Did I mention that I bought a lot of lettuce? Yeah. I bought a three-pack of hearts of Romaine, a head of iceberg lettuce, and a bag of baby spinach. I outfoxed myself by storing it all neatly in the vegetable crisper rather than scattering it recklessly around the fridge. As a consequence, I thought I needed lettuce, so I went to the grocery store and I bought a three-pack of hearts of Romaine, a head of iceberg lettuce, and, you guessed it, a bag of baby spinach. That’s a lot of greenery.

To keep things from getting routine in the salads that I’ve been having every day (and honestly, if it would help get rid of the lettuce, I would have one at breakfast), I’ve been experimenting with different ingredients. As is the case with most salads, the dressing is the star of the show, but this combination of ingredients is not only delicious, but it is highly nutritious with the spinach, beets, walnuts, and pears. It’s also beautiful, and makes a lovely presentation.Spinach, Beet, and Pear Salad with Raspberry Mustard Vinaigrette

Salad:
Fresh baby spinach
1 Melissa’s Bartlett pear, peeled and thinly sliced.
1 8-oz. pkg. Melissa’s steamed baby beets, thinly sliced.
Handful of broken walnuts
Blue cheese, as much as you like

Raspberry Mustard Vinaigrette:
¼ c. canola oil
¼ c. raspberry balsamic vinegar
2 T. grated shallot
1 T. raspberry jam

1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. sugar
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients into a mini food processor, and process until emulsified. If you don’t have a mini food processor, you need to get one. You can use them for so many things, and they make salad dressing like nobody’s business. When you use one of these to make salad dressing, it quickly emulsifies, and stays emulsified; there is no separation in the fridge.

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Spinach Madeleine

 

Putting a Thanksgiving dinner on the table is a lot of work. When you factor in anxiety based upon trying all new recipes, it doesn’t allow much breathing space to take photos of the food. As a consequence, I’m asking you to forgive the quality of photos here, but this is a recipe I had to share because it was so good.

I decided to have Cajun Thanksgiving this year; my menu was as follows:

 Cup of Gumbo

Cajun Turkey Breast

Dressing

Bourbon, Bacon, Mac & Cheese

Spinach Madeleine

Cajun Deviled Eggs

Spirited Cranberry Sauce

Cornbread

Pecan Cream Pie

 

  It’s not often that I try all new recipes for a meal, but because I was serving a small number of people who are very tolerant of what I do, I decided to go for it. Never before had any of us had mac and cheese as a part of a Thanksgiving dinner, nor had we had deviled eggs. The deviled eggs were so good that they are going to return for Christmas. Everything was a big success, but what we all particularly enjoyed was the spinach. It was so easy to put together, make ahead, and one of those things that sent us back for seconds.

The recipe, as far as I know, first appeared in a 1959 Junior League Cookbook, River Road Recipes: The Textbook of Louisiana Cuisine. It is now prepared at The Gregory Restaurant in Baton Rouge as a part of their Cajun Thanksgiving menu. The only thing I changed here was to use Panko instead of breadcrumbs, and we all loved the added crunch.

Spinach Madeleine

 2 10-oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach

4 T. butter

½ c. evaporated milk

3 T. flour

½ c. reserved spinach liquid

2 T. chopped Melissa’s shallot

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

6 oz. jalapeno jack cheese

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

½ t. garlic powder

Salt to taste

½ c. Panko breadcrumbs

¼ c. melted butter

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 1½-quart casserole with PAM; set aside.

 Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain the cooking liquid off the spinach, and reserve.

 In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. When butter has melted add the flour, stirring the mixture until it is blended and smooth without being brown. Stir in the shallots, and cook them just until soft. Pour in the evaporated milk and the ½ cup reserved spinach liquid, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring the mixture until it is smooth and thick.

 Add the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and all the seasonings to the mix. Continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted; stir in spinach. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish. (At this point, you can put the mixture into the refrigerator if you make it ahead of time. When you’re ready to bake it, bring the casserole to room temperature beforehand.) Combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Pop the dish into the oven just long enough to make it bubbly and golden.

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Mushroom, Spinach, and Pinto Bean Enchiladas

 

 Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking, a Weelicious Cookbook by Catherine McCord is a new release (April 4, 2023) from Abrams Books, and well worth investigating. Aside from the tips on fridge and pantry organization, there are some darned good recipes. This one (as so many Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes tend to do) caught my eye. I was surprised at how quickly this dish came together. Quicker than I had imagined, actually, and it was incredibly satisfying and delicious. I used portobello mushrooms and a bit of Montreal steak seasoning, so mine had a very woodsy and meaty flavor. For me, one enchilada by itself, made a meal. This is a recipe that I plan to revisit often. 

 Mushroom, Spinach, and Pinto Bean Enchiladas
Slightly adapted from Meal Prep Magic by Catherine McCord

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced*
¼ t. Montreal Steak Seasoning
½ t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
½ t. ground cumin
½ t. kosher salt
2 c. loosely packed fresh spinach
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ c. shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 12-oz. can enchilada sauce**
6 large flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9” x 11” baking dish with PAM; set aside.

Heat the oil in a 12” sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, steak seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and salt to the oil and sauté, stirring occasionally, for four minutes or until the mushrooms start to turn golden. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about one minute. Remove the mushrooms and spinach from the heat, stir in the beans and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Place the tortillas on a work surface. Scoop 1/2 cup of the mushroom mixture onto the half of the tortilla closest to you. Roll up the tortillas and place them on the top of the enchilada sauce. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce.

Cover the enchilada pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the remaining cup of cheese, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve.

Garnish as you see fit.

*I used Melissa’s portobello mushrooms

**I made my own enchilada sauce

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 Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Abrams Books as a member of their Abrams Dinner Party 2022-2023.

Stuffed Portobellos

 I am a lover of mushrooms. I always thought everyone loved mushrooms until a friend of mine told me she couldn’t stand them because, "They just lie on my tongue, and my teeth won’t chew them." I thought that was so funny, but she honestly felt that way. I love all kinds of mushrooms, but I particularly love the versatility of portobellos. They make such a wonderful main dish, and with their beefy taste, you won’t even miss the meat. This delicious recipe is the result of my cleaning out the fridge, believe it or not. I had a little bit of cottage cheese left over from the Beef & Noodle Bake, some fresh spinach threatening to go bad, as well as half of a jar of marinated artichoke hearts. I combined all of this, along with one of my favorite ingredients, fire roasted red bell peppers, and cheese (Can you ever go wrong adding cheese to anything?), and came up with this delicious recipe. If you cut it in quarters, it’s a wonderful appetizer; two make a hearty meal, and one, a nice side. No matter how you decide to serve yours, it will be very well received.

Stuffed Portobellos

4 large Melissa’s portobello mushrooms

1 T. olive oil

½ c. chopped onion

1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic

½ c. chopped marinated artichoke hearts

2 handfuls baby spinach, chopped

¼ c. chopped Melissa’s roasted red peppers

¼ c. cottage cheese

¼ t. kosher salt

¼ t. freshly ground pepper

1 t. Frank’s hot sauce

1/3 c. Italian breadcrumbs

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 Preheat oven to 400°F.

Carefully remove stems and gills from mushrooms. Reserve and chop the stems for the stuffing; set aside. Place the mushrooms stem side down onto a baking pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the water leaks out of them. Remove from the oven and drain paper towels; set aside. 

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and chopped steams, and sauté for a couple minutes until the onion is translucent. Add garlic, artichoke hearts, spinach, and red peppers to the skillet and cook for a couple more minutes, until the spinach wilts. Stir in cottage, cheese, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and breadcrumbs, and cook until heated through.

 Use an ice cream scoop to scoop up the stuffing, and divide equally among the mushrooms. Top with mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

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Cheese and Spinach Pie

I was rummaging around in my mother’s old recipe box, as I occasionally find myself doing, and came across one of her handwritten recipes. It was written on the front and back of two 3" x 5” index cards. The fact that my mother had written this out by hand in such length indicated to me that she really liked it. The recipe was for Cheese and Spinach Pie. The recipe called for a homemade double crust piecrust. Nope. Not having it. I don’t make piecrust unless I absolutely have to (a gun is being held to my head, for example), and it seemed to me that using it in this recipe would be way too carb-laden. So I kept the filling as is, and decided to use puff pastry instead. The result was wonderful.

 This is like nothing I have ever experienced before. My friend Alycia (of the Tablescapes at Table/Twenty One blog) asked me if it was more like quiche, or more like spanakopita. Truth be told, it’s not like either one of those things. This is something unique. I enjoyed it as a main dish for dinner one night, and the next day I had it for breakfast. Naturally, it would work well for lunch. It keeps in the refrigerator, for a couple of days, but when you reheat it, make sure you do so in the oven so as not to make the crust soggy.

Cheese and Spinach Pie

3 T. butter
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 8-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
¾ c. dried breadcrumbs
1 t. chopped fresh dill (or ½ t. dill weed)
5 large eggs, separated
1 t. salt
Pepper, to taste
One sheet frozen puff pastry

In 4-quartsaucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and garlic in melted butter until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, mozzarella, ricotta, breadcrumbs, dill, four egg yolks, and salt.

Beat five egg whites until stiff peaks form. With wire whisk, gently fold egg whites into cheese mixture until well blended; set aside

Preheat oven to 400° F. Roll one sheet of puff pastry into a 12” x 12” square. Place it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Spoon spinach mixture into the center of the puff pastry, and smooth out. Lift each corner of the puff pastry over the filling to the center until all corners meet. Combine remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water and brush over pastry.

Bake for one hour or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

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Baked Spinach and Zucchini

I have, for months, been trying to convince myself that a truly organized person needs only grocery shop once a month. So far, I have been able to stick to this with few exceptions. The problem with this scheme is that I end up buying a lot of produce all at once, and then it all starts to get dodgy at once, and I end up with one vegetarian meal or side dish after another. You may not see a problem with this, but let me tell you, when those vegetables are cruciferous, you end up with a BIG problem. We won’t even go there. As a consequence zucchini that I had planned to use in zucchini bread ended up taking a different direction in Ina Garten’s recipe called Baked Spinach and Zucchini. I love this dish for many reasons. It is relatively easy to put together, can be made ahead, can be served hot or at room temperature, as a main dish or side dish, and works at any meal of the day, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I didn’t have any extra large eggs, so I used three large ones and upped the cream. My version is below. This would be perfect for the holidays.

Baked Spinach and Zucchini
Slightly adapted from Ina Garten

Olive oil
3 scallions, white and green parts, sliced ¼” across
2 small zucchini, sliced in ¼”-thick rounds
½ T. Melissa’s minced garlic
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
½ c. cooked basmati rice
2 T. chopped fresh basil
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
¼ t. ground nutmeg
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
½ c. heavy cream
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra
2 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8” x 8” baking dish with PAM; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan. Add the scallions and zucchini and sauté for two minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Lightly press most of the water out of the spinach and add it to the pan. Add the rice, basil, parsley, nutmeg, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, and toss well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, melted butter, and ½ cup Parmesan. Pour the mixture over the spinach and zucchini, and smooth the top. Sprinkle with some extra Parmesan cheese and the Gruyere. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

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Pasta with Spinach and Morels

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We are months away from morel mushroom season, and yet today I had a hankering that wouldn’t quit. Thank goodness for Melissa’s and their packages of dried morel mushrooms. Thirty minutes of hydration, and they were ready to go. Using one pan, and 20 minutes of cooking time, I made a hearty, woodsy, ever so satisfying pasta dish that had me longing for spring. It’s perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time, is company worthy, will certainly please the vegetarians, and is versatile enough where, if you would like to swap the spinach for another green vegetable, say peas, broccoli, or brussels sprouts, you can certainly do so. Feel free to make this appeal to your meat lovers by adding slices of broiled chicken. You can’t go wrong with this dish.

Pasta with Spinach and Morels

1 T. olive oil

1 1-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried morels
1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

Pinch Montreal Steak Seasoning
8 oz. spaghetti
2 T. butter
2 c. homemade chicken stock
1 c. whole milk

1-2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

Hydrate mushrooms according to package directions. In a 12-inch skillet (I used my square 12-inch copper chef pan), heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in mushrooms and garlic, and stir for one minute. Add steak seasoning, pasta, butter, chicken stock, milk, spinach, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, put the lid on the pan, and set the timer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes are up, remove lid, sprinkle Parmesan on top of the pasta along with the chopped parsley, and toss until the cheese is melted. Serve.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine

I am finishing out Mushroom Week with this delicious and easy, on-the-table-in-30-minutes meal, Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine. While this can, indeed, be on the table in 30 minutes, it helps to start the day ahead by marinating the chicken breasts in buttermilk. If you have never done this, trust me when I tell you that this should be your new practice with absolutely every dish that you make that uses chicken, and I am talking every single one, including chicken salad, or even if you’re just adding pieces of cooked chicken to a chef salad. It makes a world of difference, because that buttermilk helps to break down any toughness the chicken may possess, and it will come out juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and halved*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Melissa’s shallot, minced
1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup homemade chicken stock 

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 handfuls baby spinach

In a large sauté pan, melt oil and butter together. Sauté the chicken on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate, tent, and set aside. Put sliced mushrooms into the pan, cook and stir until softened. Remove with slotted spoon to bowl; set aside

Add the 1/4 cup butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook until partially thickened. Whisk in chicken stock, cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Add the spinach, and allow to simmer until sauce starts to thicken and the spinach is wilted. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, heat through, and serve atop the pasta of your choice.

Makes 4 servings

*You learned how to do that here.

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Another easy and excellent chicken dish is this toothsome Chicken Piccata.

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Full Plate Thursday

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Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Frittata

Prior to today, I had never made nor eaten a frittata. This surprises me, because I truly enjoy brunch food at any time of the day. I suspect the reason that I hadn’t made one is because a frittata calls for a lot of eggs, and, not being a baker, I never have a lot on hand. When I do, I use them sparingly, and panic when that supply starts to get low. What if I want a deviled egg? I need to have my eggs! What if I want a hard-boiled egg in my salad? Eggs! I need eggs! You get the picture. This week I decided I was going to change all that, so I bought two dozen eggs at the market, setting one aside just to make this frittata. Considering the ease, I honestly wasn’t expecting too much. Boy, was I surprised, it was delicious!

If you have hesitated to make a frittata like I have all of these years, you need to stop what you’re doing and give it a try. Equally good at dinner as it is at lunch and breakfast, I’m sure this will please the entire family. And as long as you keep the egg mixture the same, you can get as creative as you like with the filling. Next time I’m going to add sliced hearts of palm, after that, perhaps artichoke hearts and Parmesan cheese. Who knows? But there will be a next time because this was so good.

One note, mine did not slide as readily out of the pan as I’ve seen it happen on TV. I ran an ovenproof rubber spatula around the edge, sliding it toward the middle as I did so, and was able to coax it out onto a plate.

Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Frittata

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 scallions, sliced

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

4 handfuls (about 4 ozs.) baby spinach

Sprinkling of Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

Freshly ground black pepper

8 large eggs

4 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs, divided

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, mushrooms, spinach, and steak seasoning, and cook, stirring, until spinach has wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; remove from the heat. 

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup water, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in feta. Pour mixture over the sautéed vegetables in the skillet, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Carefully slide the skillet into the oven and bake until the frittata is set and the top is golden, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven (don’t burn yourself like I did), and slide/coax the frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

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If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy this similarly easy and delicious Crustless Quiche.

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Feathered Nest Friday

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