I saw a picture of a quiche in Vegetarian Times (Sept. 2014, pg. 64) that used phyllo dough for the crust and it looked quite pretty. I often find that phyllo dough ends up making a mess during assembly and again during serving, but once in a while I decide to give it a try. I went with their idea of using Vitamin A- and C-packed baby bok choy because I haven’t used that yet in a blog post, but also added some artichoke hearts – always sounds good in a quiche. I can use half a can of artichoke hearts in this and make an artichoke spinach dip with the rest later in the week. You can substitute other leafy greens for the bok choy.
Although bok choy isn’t one of the more popular cruciferous vegetables in the United States like broccoli, it’s one of the most commonly consumed in China. A study in China following survivors of stage 1 to 4 breast cancer, found cruciferous vegetable intake during the first 36 months after breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a reduced risk for total mortality, breast cancer-specific mortality, and disease recurrence. As women ate more of these vegetables, their risk of death or cancer recurrence decreased.[1] I’m going to pass this info on to my mom, who is also a breast cancer survivor, and hope she makes more broccoli and brussels sprouts.
We’ll also be able to use the leftover goat cheese in that upcoming artichoke dip. Usually farm markets sell cheeses from local farms if they don’t make their own. Ours if from Cherry Glen farm in Boyd’s, MD.
This has been on the menu all week but by the time I get home from work we don’t feel like waiting another hour for dinner, so I had to postpone it until Sunday. Take the phyllo out of the freezer the day before. There are about 18 sheets of phyllo dough in one package. There are two packages in a box, so take one package out to thaw and keep the other package in the freezer.
Spread the oil on the completely defrosted phyllo sheets from the center out to the edges to help prevent it from tearing or bunching up. If it does tear or bunch up, just flatten it the best you can and keep going. Once it’s ready, it needs to go in the pan, get filled, and go directly in the oven before it starts to dry out and get finicky. You have to do the package in two overlapping sets to make it wide enough to cover a springform pan. Pick up the piles from the center so they don’t pull apart – just do the best you can. You can always patch it together with a little more oil and the extra phyllo you cut off; pretend you’re doing paper maché.
Mushroom & Greens Quiche
2 T avocado oil
4 C chopped mushrooms (9 oz)
6 large eggs
1 1/2 C milk
4 oz. fresh goat cheese
Dash ground pepper
2 heads chopped baby bok choy
8 chopped green onions (1 C)
1/2 C chopped artichoke hearts (~3)
2 crushed cloves garlic
1/4 t sage
1 pkg (18 sheets) frozen phyllo dough, thawed
2 T sesame oil
Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat avocado oil in pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes to shrink them.
Meanwhile whisk eggs, milk, and goat cheese in large bowl until smooth. Season with ground pepper. Set aside.
Stir mushrooms and add baby bok choy, green onions, artichoke hearts, garlic, and sage to pan; cook 5 minutes more while you open the phyllo dough and put the sesame oil in a bowl. Turn vegetables down to simmer for 5-10 minutes while you finish the crust.
Lay out the first phyllo sheet and brush top gently with sesame oil. Add 2 more sheets, and brush with sesame oil. Repeat layering 2 sheets at a time three more times, brushing top with oil, until you have a 9-sheet stack. Repeat this process to make second 9-sheet stack that overlaps the first stack by 1”. If the first stack starts to dry out, just brush more oil over it.
Place phyllo stacks in sprayed 9” springform pan. Gently press phyllo into pan bottom and sides, then trim along edges with scissors. Patch using the oily brush as needed. Put green mixture into crust.
Pour egg mixture over greens. Put springform pan on a baking sheet and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool 5 minutes, then remove pan sides to serve.
[1] “Eating cruciferous vegetables may improve breast cancer survival,” S Nechuta, X Shu, et al, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, April 3, 2012.
