Quajado, pronounced kwah-shah-doh, is a Sephardic Jewish dish of spinach, feta cheese, garlic, onion, Parmesan cheese and lots of dill.  Make it in a pie plate, or muffin cups for easy to wrap and pack in lunchboxes.  The flavors are Mediterranean with a moist spongy center topped with crunchy browned Parmesan cheese.  The same recipe can be made for appetizers by simply spreading the mixture over a 7X11 inch rectangular pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake as directed below and cut into fingers or squares.

If feta cheese is too salty or expensive for your tastes, substitute small curd cottage cheese, queso blanco crumbled or homemade ricotta cheese.  I used homemade queso blanco for the one shown here.  Greek seasoning, 1 tsp, can be be used in place of  pepper, dill, onion and garlic.  If using frozen spinach, thaw two 12-oz packages and squeeze dry before combining with other ingredients.  This is super easy and your family and guests will rave.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (homemade)
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (queso blanco, cottage cheese or ricotta with 1 tsp salt)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh dill leaves, chopped
• 3 leaves fresh basil, 3 sprigs parsley, 3 sprigs oregano chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Butter a quiche pan, muffin pan or line a 9-inch square baking pan with kitchen parchment and set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add fresh spinach, onion and garlic and stir-fry for 3 minutes.  Remove to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
3. Mix all ingredients, except Parmesan cheese,  in a large bowl and then pack into prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until browned on top and a knife comes out clean.  Cool, remove parchment paper from bottom and cut into serving pieces.
5. Serve with chicken soup and tomato salad for lunch or a light supper.  Great for Sunday brunch and lunchboxes too.

Anna’s was my favorite place to eat when I had a day off  cooking at the Whitianga Hotel.  Another of my favorite quiches was a spinach quiche in phyllo dough with onion marmalade and gorgonzola cheese…too yummy!  The Kiwi’s and Aussies may be a world downunder but they truly know how to cook in the best tradition of a Crown Colony and in their own right.

Do enjoy this as a main-dish with a salad and glass of wine.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked pie crust
• 1 cup chicken sliced or shredded
• 1 portobello mushroom, sliced thin
• 1/2 small onion, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. basil pesto (homemade is best)
• 6 thin slices cream cheese (use dental floss to slice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg

Method:

1. Place pie crust in a 9-inch spring form cake pan with 2-inch sides.  Blind bake for 12 minutes at 400° F..
2. Reduce oven to 375° F.  Cool crust on a cake rack.
3. Sauté mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes, add onions and continue to cook until water dissipates.
4. Layer chicken over bottom of crust, spread mushrooms and onions over chicken, dot with basil pesto, and top with cream cheese slices.
5. Whisk eggs and half-and-half together with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
6. Pour batter over filling, sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes until eggs are set.  Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Pie Crust (modified pâte brisee)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 egg, whipped with 1 tsp cold water 

Method:

1. Cut butter into flour until its the consistency of cornmeal.
2. Make a well in center of the flour and pour in the egg.
3. Toss flour and egg together with a fork for 5 seconds and scoop up the whole bit onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  Pull the corners of the plastic wrap together and twist to form a ball.
4. Chill the ball of dough for 10 minutes.
5. Wipe your counter with a damp cloth, cover the damp area with plastic wrap, dust with a little flour, place ball of dough in center and flatten slightly, dust with a little flour, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap.  Roll out crust.
6. If you’re in a hurry, skip the chilling and rolling.  Just push the dough into your pie pan like playing with putty.  Once the dough is uniform in thickness throughout and sides are crimped, chill to set it.  Then blind bake as instructed above.

Impossible Quiche is a recipe by Bisquick that’s at least 20 years old.  It makes its own crust so there is no need to make and roll out pie dough.  Its simply a batter that ends up at the bottom of your pie plate and cooks up like a crust.   The original Bisquick recipe was for Quiche Lorraine and then Bisquick came out with the Impossible Taco Pie in the 1990s which really tasted like tacos.   I’ve tried it with leftover turkey, chicken, and steak adding leftover broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and corn.  No leftovers…throw in a can of crab meat or baby shrimp.  Kick up flavors with fresh herbs from your kitchen garden, Tabasco sauce, pesto, Greek seasoning or Cajun seasoning.  The combinations are endless.   Serve your Impossible Quiche with a salad for lunch, add soup and crusty French bread for a supper.

Basic Impossible Quiche Batter

• 2cups milk
• 1/2 cup Bisquick
• 4 eggs
• dash of black pepper and nutmeg

Whisk in blender until smooth, just 2 or 3 seconds.

Impossible Chicken Quiche

• 1 cup leftover roasted chicken, cubed or chopped to bite size
• 1 cup of leftover broccoli and mushrooms
• 1 small onion, sliced thin or diced
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 cup Swiss cheese or Gruyere, grated
• 1 recipe Impossible Quiche Batter
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven 350° F.  Butter a 9 inch deep-dish pie dish.  Layer bottom with chicken and veggies, sprinkle with herbs and cheese.  Add Tabasco sauce to batter.  Place dish on a rack in the middle of the oven, pour the batter over the filling.  The dish will be quite full.  Bake 40 minutes or until top is browned and a knife inserted comes out clean.