Roasted Kabocha Quiche

Taste. Taste. Taste again. Recipes aren’t super important to follow astringently (unless you’re baking!), but are more of a nice inspirational guideline that allows you to sample and test as the flavors and textures change throughout the cooking process. So, um, yeah, sign me up for recipe-liberated cooking!
The point I’m trying to make is developing a connection with food is rewarding and important. Try your produce raw. See what you’re working with. Try it again cooked, and see how it changed. You don’t have ‘that one thing’ for a recipe? No problem.  If you know the flavor profiles of the food you eat, you likely have something similar. Flexibility is key when it comes to eating locally and in season… especially in the harsh growing climate of Central Oregon. I’m basically thrilled that anything grows at all.
It’s pretty exciting to pick up a CSA box, kind of like Christmas. It’s like, okay, what the heck shall I invent this month? I don’t often pick up a bunch of specific ingredients at the store to try to manipulate an ingredient in the CSA into a classic recipe, but I sort of let the food tell me what to make. Generally, the greens will wilt first, so I use those right away, and incorporate the cellar stable products later on. This way, I never throw anything away. I have even started composting the parts not to be eaten.
So on this particular day, I had a lot going on. I was trying to incorporate some fermented pumpkin that I had just made waffles with, and decided a quiche was in order. Also, I didn’t taste it! I cook all the time, so I am confident in most flavor profiles. I should have. Instead of incorporating 3 Tbsp of mild chili powder, I accidentally put 3 Tbsp of cajun seasoning, which I had made previously mostly from cayenne pepper. Always taste spices before adding!…. And another note while I’m at it… salt goes farther than you think.
So this is the spiciest quiche I have ever made, and I recommend you use the chili powder instead of cayenne so it doesn’t end up like mine did. Hahahaha. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche
(serves 8)
Ingredients:
1 pie crust
1 cup roasted pumpkin
6 eggs
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup fresh mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
4 thick cut bacon strips, cooked crispy and chopped to crumbles
2 large carrots (or 1 CSA carrot), chopped
1 large onion (or ½ CSA onion), diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup thinly sliced kale or choy stems
1 purple CSA Radish, sliced into thin rounds (optional)
2 Tbsp. chili powder (not cajun seasoning!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish, chopped
Directions:
  1. Place crust in a pie pan. Cover with parchment and fill with baking weights or dried beans. Cook the crust for about 10-15 minutes at 350F until the crust is cooked and set.
  2. Remove crust from oven and let cool.
  3. Puree together pumpkin, eggs, cream, and cheese. This should be thick.
  4. In a bowl, add the pumpkin mixture with kale, carrot, onion, garlic, chili powder and bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste Fold together and pour mixture into the cooled pie crust.
  5. Cover the crust edge with foil or pie shield.
  6. Top with radish slices and bake for ~25 minutes. Remove pie shield or foil and bake another ~15 minutes until golden brown.
  7. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve warm
Cheers!
-@theprimalfocus