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- Category: Past Issues
Greetings. Quiches and omelets can be a great way to use up small amounts of leftovers. Eggs are so very adaptable to many flavors and cooking methods. Here I am using Mexican seasonings for the quiche, and soft corn tortillas to line the pie plate, rather than fussing with a pie crust. This recipe is also great in the summer when there are all sorts of peppers ripening in the local gardens. Leave out the bacon for a vegetarian version, but you may need to add a little more salt for flavor.
Mexican-Style Quiche
6 ozs. bell peppers, any combination of red, yellow, and green
½ tablespoon olive oil ~ ½ tablespoon butter
5 6-inch soft corn tortillas ~ 1 minced jalepeno pepper, or 1 4-oz can
chopped chili peppers, drained
1 oz (2 generous tablespoons) crumbled crisp bacon
4 ozs (1 cup) shredded mild cheese, such as Monterey Jack or Fontina
1 oz (¼ cup) grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 cup cooked beans, such as Pinto, black, or Aduki
3 eggs ~ 2 egg yolks ~ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried basil or oregano ~ ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper ~ 1¾ cups half and half
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice tops off of peppers, seed, and cut into halves or quarters, depending their size. Transfer to foil or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil. Roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn with tongs, and continue roasting for another 10 minutes, or until they just begin to char. When done, set aside to cool a bit. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
While peppers are roasting, butter a 9-inch pie plate. Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil. Place one tortilla flat in the bottom of the pie plate. Stack the remaining tortillas on a cutting board and cut in half. Keeping them stacked, cut a 1½-inch strip off of the long side (middle) of each stack. You will be left with 8 strips, plus 8 half moons. Fit the strips against the sides of the pie plate, overlapping them and pressing them against the sloping sides. Fit the half moons around the inside of the pan, surrounding the center tortilla, covering the inside surface of the pie plate as completely as possible. Set aside. Dice the roasted peppers. There should be about ½ cup.
Scatter half of the jalepeno or chili peppers over the tortillas. Follow with half of the bacon, half of the roasted peppers and half of each kind of cheese. Top evenly with the beans. Repeat layering with the remaining jalepeno or chili peppers, bacon, roasted peppers, and cheese. Combine eggs with cumin, basil or oregano, salt, and pepper, using either a whisk or a blender. Add the half and half, and whisk or blend just to combine. Gently pour into the pie plate, covering the contents evenly. Carefully transfer the cookie sheet and pie plate to the oven. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until the center is just set. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 5.