Pumpkin Quiche

PUMPKIN QUICHE

I love to make Quiche and I have an endless supply of recipes, so I think I’ll be posting several of them over time. I saw this recipe a few years ago in a German magazine which I bought for the apple cake on its cover as I needed a recipe for a traditional German cake to serve to my husband’s German family! I ended up cutting out several recipes from that magazine  including the pumpkin quiche recipe. I’ve changed up the ingredients just a bit to suit my own taste and I recommend you do too!!

 You’ll first need a recipe for the crust of your choice. I tend to use an oil crust with Quiche as I then don’t have to roll it out! In German, this type of dough is called Mürbeteig and I have found it in the refridgerated section in the supermarket.  In the US, you can use that prepared crust in the red box ( I forgot who makes it) if you don’t like to make your own.

2 small leeks ( white portion only)

500g  ( about a pound) pumpkin ( you can also use acorn or butternut squash)

fresh thyme

300g ( about 1/2 lb) cooked ham ( can leave this out for a vegetarian dish)

2 tbsp olive oil

3 eggs, 2 egg whites

60ml milk ( 1/4 cup)

100g ( 3.5 oz) fresh grated gouda

1. place the dough in either a 9 inch pie plate or a 26 cm springform

2. Wash and cut the leeks into thin rings. Chop the pumpkin into  cubes. Wash the thyme and coarsely chop. Chop ham into small cubes.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the ham. Cook for 4 minutes or so over medium heat. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add the pumpkin and leeks to the same pan. Season with salt and pepper ( I like to use white pepper). Cook until pumpkin is slightly softened then pour the vegetables into the prepared pie plate or springform.

4. Add  the eggs, milk and cheese together in a bowl mix together well. Add the chopped thyme and ham and mix well. Pour mixture over vegetables and bake in a preheated 180°c (350°f ) oven for 30-40 minutes until egg mixture is set. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting. ( mine,was, um….a little too long in the oven…distracted by little ones….but it still tasted delicious!!)

Guten Appetit!