Swiss Chard, Pancetta and Mushroom Quiche...

Quiche is such a fun thing to make! It is a great way to use up scraps of cheese and can be made of practically any ingredient....as long as you have half and half, eggs and cheese...and crust, you need pie crust...so good for breakfast, lunch and dinner....this quiche recipe has a few twists...chard instead of standard spinach, pancetta instead of standard bacon, and Parmesan and white cheddar instead of swiss and cheddar....

Swiss Chard, Pancetta and Mushroom Quiche

Standard 10 inch pie crust
3 ounces of panchetta
2 cups of chopped chard
6 leaves of basil
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups of shredded Parmesan and cheddar mixed
5 large eggs
2 cups of half and half

one secret to great quiche...you must cook the pie crust first...so put your crust in a pie plate or tart pan and make nice edges and poke the bottom with a fork...bake at 375 for 20 minutes until lightly browned...
reduce the oven to 350 and layer in the crust....the sauteed pancetta, the sauteed mushrooms, green onion, sauteed basil and chard and shredded cheese...mix the beaten eggs, half and half and a couple dashes of pepper together...pour slowly over the quiche ingredients...slide in the oven and bake for exactly 40 minutes...the quiche will be browned and a little jiggly, let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes and slice and serve.....

put your crust in your pretty tart pan with the pink rose on it that you got from your mother..and bake for 20 minutes in the oven...

by the magic of the computer it is finished cooking....cooking the crust first, insures that it will be flaky and crisp and not soggy....

slice up your 3 ounces of pancetta....it is kind of hard to slice...use a really sharp knife and not a serrated one...(I learned the hard way)

grate your cheeses.....

slice the chard....

slice the mushrooms.....

chiffonade the basil...I just wanted to say chiffonade...I didn't really want to spell it though....

saute the pancetta until brown and rendered...

crack and whip your eggs in a bowl....

add the 2 cups of half and half....sorry all you dieters, you must use half and half....and a couple of grinds of fresh pepper...do not, I repeat do not add salt....it is plenty salty with the pancetta and cheeses...

saute the chard and basil, just briefly...just to wilt some...

put the pancetta on the bottom of the crust and then the sauteed  mushrooms...

then sprinkle on the onions and the chard, basil mix....

sprinkle over the cheeses....

here is a helpful hint.....put the pie shell on the oven rack, before pouring the egg mixture over it...it will help you not to slosh the mixture....

carefully slide in and set timer for 40 minutes......

yay it is done!!!!

this is so good!!!!!

cheesy and creamy and full of flavor burst!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!