Swiss Chard, Onion And Gruyere Quiche

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We have been eating lots of Swiss chard and kale this Fall.  You name it, we've had it...sauteed, in soups, omelettes and quiche.

Chard is one of the most nutritious vegetables around, with the leaves containing most of the vitamins.  It is very popular in Mediterranean cooking. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked or sauteed as their bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavor which is more delicate than that of cooked spinach.

Because of the zone I am in, Fall is the time to grow lettuce as well as some of the leafy vegetables and  herbs that don't do well in the heat of our summers . I have just set out a pot of new parsley on the deck, as well as cilantro,sage and dill.  It has only taken me four years to figure this out.  They will grow and thrive until the first frost which, in North Georgia, is usually around mid December.  I am now also restarting a new pot of basil.  It's complicated, I know.  I'm still trying to figure it out.

I usually purchase a couple of bunches of kale or chard, steam them, remove all the water and save the leaves in a Ziploc or plastic tub in the refrigerator. When I need some for quiche, omelettes or whatever, it is all ready to go.   Kale and chard also freeze beautifully but take advantage of them while they are fresh.

If you have your chard ready to go, this quiche is a breeze.  A ready made Mrs. Smith crust  is perfect.  All you will need is a glass of dry French rose or white wine and lunch will be memorable.  The recipe is basically Julia Child's Spinach Quiche, with Swiss Chard instead, and the addition of onions and Gruyere.  I thought about using shallots, but in this quiche the good old onion is better.  Trust me.

Wait til you see what I did with kale in the next recipe.  It was memorable.  Stay tuned.....

Ingredients:

1 9 inch deep pastry crust, preferably Mrs. Smith's
1 finely minced  onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups chopped blanched Swiss Chard  (drained)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
 
Egg Custard

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pinch nutmeg
 
1/2 cup grated Gruyere 
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pea-size

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and pre bake pastry shell in a baking sheet according to directions for 9-10 minutes. Don't forget the pie weights! 

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Cook the onions in the butter until translucent.

Add the chard and stir over moderate heat for several minutes to evaporate all its water.

Add salt, pepper and taste carefully for seasonings and set aside.

Beat the eggs and cream in a mixing bowl.  Add the nutmeg.

 

Gradually stir in spinach mixture.

  

Pour into partially baked pastry shell.

  

Sprinkle with cheese and dot the top with butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool a bit before serving.

Notes: the recipe fits a 9 inch pie shell perfectly.  Do not overfill.  Fill only to 3/4 so it has room to rise.