FETA ASPARAGUS QUICHE

Good morning, dear Reader! I hope you're enjoying a wonderful fall. Yes, I know it's fall, and I know it's not the best time to find fresh asparagus. But I happened to find a great-looking bunch of it at my grocery outlet (of all places!), so I had myself a little excursion to springtime.

This quiche was my first attempt at a crust without butter (I know... it seems a sin to say the phrase "crust without butter."). It turned out a lot better than I expected - not as flaky and of course not as buttery as a crust with butter, but still good enough to keep the recipe. And good enough to be worth lightening up occasionally :)

Usually, I like my quiche a little more egg-heavy, and I like to use evaporated milk instead of regular milk. So this was a nice little experiment for me. The egg was fluffy and turned out not to be the main event, but rather the warm, savory vehicle for the veggies and cheese. The nutmeg is just right, and with asparagus and feta together, you really can't go wrong. Mmm...

And how about the pretty sunflowers my husband brought home the other night? It's pretty hard to beat seeing him walk through the door with his bike and a bunch of sunflowers :) Apparently the sunflowers at my home back in Illinois are in full bloom under my mother's bird feeders right now. I'm sad to miss that this year... including the long, ever-gorgeous row of red-orange pear trees behind them.

As a loving salute to an Illinois fall, I cooked up some Illinios Sausage Corn Chowder last night to go with the cool gray days we've been having in the bay area. I'll post the recipe soon. For now, back to the quiche.

Feta Asparagus Quiche

CRUST:
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup ice water

Mix flour and salt with a fork. Whisk olive oil and cold water together until it's kind of fluffy. Add flour/salt mixture and mix with a fork. Plop the dough on a floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin (or in my case a drinking glass) until smooth and sized to fit your pan. Press into the pan and bake about 10 minutes at 400 while you mix up the quiche. (I actually baked mine for at least 15 minutes, but I think it was a little too done, as you can maybe judge from the picture).

QUICHE:
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 bunch asparagus
1 small red onion, chopped
3/4 cup cubed feta
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper

Chop the asparagus and steam until tender. While it's steaming, combine eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper (sorry, I didn't measure the salt and pepper). Beat very well. Pour egg mixture into prepared crust. Sprinkle asparagus and onion (evenly) into the quiche. You can use a fork to sink them down so they're not all floating on top. Sprinkle feta over top.

Bake at 400 for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.