Tomato & Basil Quiche with Whole Wheat Pie Crust

A few months ago when I made this (I know, I'm seriously behind on blogging), we had so many tomatoes and so much basil that I was literally putting them in/on everything. Nary a sandwich was made without them playing a supporting role. After getting tired of sandwiches, pastas, salads, and pizzas, I really wanted to make something where the flavor of the home-grown tomatoes and basil could take center stage. This quiche was just the thing.



I LOVE this whole wheat pie crust. It's super flaky and buttery without feeling heavy. I also used large curd cottage cheese instead of heavy cream, which cuts down on the fat and give the quiche a great texture. I actually use this trick a lot with casseroles too.



For the Pie Crust

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 egg
1 tablespoon cold water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter. In a separate small bowl, lightly beat egg, vinegar, and water. Add to dry mixture and knead with hands for a few minutes, until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a circle and place in a 10-inch pie plate or dish. Prick with a fork on bottom and sides. Preheat oven to 475 degrees and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.



For the Filling

4 large eggs
4-5 tomatoes, sliced thin
About a cup of chopped fresh basil leaves
About a cup of chopped green onions
1 cup of cottage cheese (small or large curd are fine)
3/4 cup of shredded sharp cheddar
salt & pepper to taste



Mix everything but the tomatoes thoroughly before folding tomatoes in. Be careful not to stir too much after adding the tomatoes. Save a few tomato slices to place on top of the pie. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust and top with the remaining tomato slices.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the filling is puffed up and golden brown. Serve with a leafy green salad.

Gazpacho with Avocado-Corn Salsa

Cold soups are perfect in the heat of the Summer.  Gazpacho, in particular, is great because you can make it with vegetables from your own garden.  There is nothing that compliments the flavor of good, fresh, home-grown vegetables like gazpacho.  We've made it with store-bought tomatoes before and it's not even close to the same.  You have to make it in season.  Make a big batch and you'll be eating (and loving) it for days.  This one featured tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and jalapenos from our own garden and was garnished with avocado-corn salsa.  This salsa could also stand on it's own as a salad or dip for tortilla chips.  

Gazpacho

2 slices day old white bread, cubed (we used about half of a small baguette)

2 1/2 cups chilled water

2 1/4 lbs. fresh tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 fresh green chili, seeded & chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1 lemon

a few drops of hot sauce (we used Texas Pete)

salt & black pepper

a handful of basil leaves

Put the bread into a large bowl and pour 2/3 cup of the water over it and leave it to soak for 5 minutes.  Place your tomatoes in another bowl and cover with boiling water--leave that for 30 seconds.  Drain the water and then peel off the skin.  Quarter them and remove the seeds.  

Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds.  Cut it into a few smaller pieces.  

Drain the bread and then put it, along with the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, chili, garlic, olive oil, lemon & lime juice, hot sauce, and 2 cups chilled water into a food processor or blender (a blender would actually be best here) and blend until well combined, but still a little chunky.

Season with salt and pepper and chill for 2-3 hours.  To serve, top with avocado-corn salsa, and garnish with fresh basil.

Avocado-Corn Salsa

2 ripe avocados, diced

1 can of corn, drained (fresh would be even better)

1 green chili, finely chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.  

Spring Panzanella

A panzanella is an Italian bread salad.  It's perfect for the Spring and Summer months when fresh vegetables are readily available.  This is a great way to use fresh, homegrown tomatoes and herbs from your garden.  The simplicity of this salad lets the flavor of each ingredient shine.  You can use whatever veggies you like, but for me, it must always have some kind of bean or pea, tomatoes, and fresh basil...along with the bread, of course.

It's best to use bread that's a few days old for this, as older bread will make for sturdier croutons.  However, it's not totally necessary.  We used some homemade bread that we made fresh.  Just let it cool for a while before you attempt to cut it up into cubes.  

For the croutons

5-6 cups of bread, cubed

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

half a cup of grated parmesan

1/4 cup olive oil

salt & pepper

Just toss all of these ingredients together to coat well & bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, turning once or twice.  Set aside to cool.

For the salad

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 can of chick peas

1 small bunch of asparagus (boil for 3 minutes & rinse with very cold water & then cut into inch and a half sections)

1 can/jar of artichoke hearts in water

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup crumbled feta 

For the dressing

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

juice from half a lemon

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

black pepper

Ideally, this would be served with a nice, big glass of valpolicella.