The Man Quiche

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Quiche is not man food. My father (who is extremely cultured and appreciative of the finer things in culinary life) loves quiche. But most men do not like quiche. It’s right up there with miscellaneous bridal showers, Jane Austen, and pink lemonade. Men don’t eat it, buy it, or stand near it. Because I grew up in a quiche-eating home however, I didn’t know this. The first couple of quiches I made for my husband were the typical: Spinach and ham, bacon and cheese (light on the bacon), etc. He ate them all, and never complained. But when he didn’t go running for the leftovers, I asked a loaded question: “Do you like quiche?” My always honest husband said, “It tastes good, but the texture is a little funny.”

You know, he was right. I was using low-fat milk, which leaves the quiche spongy. And I was skimping on the cheese and the fillings. I didn’t realize this until I My mom came up to visit and made quiche for us. Hers was so indulgent and dense. It made you want to devote your life to quiche. It worked for my husband anyway. There has been henceforth a dividing line between my mom’s quiche, and all those pretender quiches: “If you make it like your Mom does, I’ll like it.” Since I love my husband, and I refuse to give up quiche, I started changing my recipe to match Mom’s.

So changed is my once quiche-hating husband that he actually suggested a quiche recipe to me. I love it when my husband suggests recipes. I makes me all giddy inside because I get to try to make it. Such a rush…you should try it sometime. ANYWAY – the result was the Mexican Quiche. It was born out of my husbands love of garnishing any quiche with salsa. The recipe you are about to encounter below is the brain child of my husband, and the creation of yours truly. Enjoy!

Mexican Quiche

5 Wheat Tortillas

1 1/2 cups chicken breast, or pork loin, roughly chopped. ( I used pork.)

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies (I used Mild, for my baby’s sake).

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp ground cumin (Because I like my man-quiche smoky).

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

7 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Grease a deep dish pie pan with cooking spray and place it on a baking sheet. Arrange tortillas in the pan to form a crust. The tortillas will need to come up the side of the pan and overlap each other. It will look rustic and free form. Cook meat, bell pepper and onion in 2 tbsp vegetable oil over Medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add beans, Rotel and seasonings and simmer until the meat is cooked through. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and milk together thoroughly, salting to taste. Add shredded cheese to the egg mixture and combine well.

Spoon filling into crust with a slotted spoon, shaking out any excess liquid and spreading it out evenly. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the filling slowly, letting it soak into the filling before covering it. Bake quiche at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until set. Serve with salsa.

*Notes: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to use less tortillas. If you do not have a deep dish pie pan, you should be able to make two regular-sized quiches. You will just need to adjust the tortilla number to cover two pans. I used a springform pan that had been wrapped in foil. it turned out fine, but the eggs seeped through the cracks in the pan a little bit, tearing the crust when the sides were removed. (I also didn’t grease the pan…oops.) Next time I will make two quiches in my regular pans and grease them! This ought to eliminate the problem.

**Warning: You man should be warned that he will actually like quiche after eating this one. If he’s worried about maintaining his image among the uber-macho, he might want to count the cost before digging in. Just a thought.

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