Ham and Swiss Zucchini Quiche

By this point, you can classify us as MIA on the blog this month, right?  We had some big things going on in our personal lives!  Lacy and her husband moved into a new apartment (a solid 6 miles away from us, but who's counting, right... *sob*).  And I've been busy with a month-long bake sale!  Boy, was that fun and also a mess.  I would have posted pictures and recipes on here, but I was too busy to even take pictures.  And also, none of the recipes were my originals, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway!

We can talk about how I had a pie shell in my freezer from a treacle tart mishap... I made a bea.u.ti.ful crust for the treacle tart, and then the filling was a disaster because transferring recipes from the metric system to the weirdo U.S. system is haaaard.  A package of frozen crusts was purchase from the store about 25 minutes before I had to leave to deliver the tart.  And the tart had to cook for about 20 minutes.  Nothing like cutting it down to the wire.  I like to pretend that never happened.

But if it had never happened, I'd never have made this quiche!  So, disguised blessings, right?  The salty ham is a treat with the sauteed onions.  And hooooh boy, I almost forgot how delicious Swiss cheese is!  You could probably go with all Swiss and no Cheddar, but don't skip the Swiss.  It's delightful.  (I mean, you can skip it, and this would still be good.  But keep it, because that's better.)  Oh, and also, zucchini because vegetables are important--don't worry, there's not much in there.

Husband and I needed a quick meal tonight.  And this is quick! Well... the prep work is quick.  To be fair, a baking time of 30-40 minutes is obviously not a 10 minute meal.  But if you consider that we got home from work, whipped this up, ate, and had time to goof around on the internet and watch some History channel before heading out the door two hours later for gym time, well... I'd still count that as a quick dinner!

Ham and Swiss Zucchini Quiche

Serves 4, or 8 as a side dish

1 unbaked pie shell
1/4 large yellow onion
1/4 Zucchini squash
1 slice thick cut deli Black Forest Ham
1-2 cloves Garlic
3 Eggs
3/4 c. Buttermilk
1/4 c. heavy Cream
a dash of Cayenne
a dash of Nutmeg
1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese
1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Remove store-bought pie shell from plastic packaging (obviously) (or alternately, make your own; I like this recipe, but instead use half butter and half shortening.)  Set pie shell on cookie sheet (for easier handling). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice onions into thin half moons.  Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add a glug of olive oil, and add the onion.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Slice zucchini into thin half moons while onions saute, about 2-3 minutes, then add zucchini slices.  Chop the ham into cubes and mince the garlic while the zucchini sautes, another 2-3 minutes, then add the ham and garlic.  Let all saute together on medium for 30 seconds to a minute, then turn heat down to low.

Crack eggs into a small mixing bowl.  Add buttermilk, cream, cayenne, and nutmeg, and whisk together well.  Add salt and pepper to your preference.  Pour the ham mixture into the eggs and stir.  Toss 2/3rds of the cheese into the egg mixture and mix in.  Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell.  Top the egg mixture with the remaining cheese.

Slide pie shell (on cookie sheet) into the oven.  Let bake until set and the cheese is golden brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.  If the pie crust edges begin to get too dark, cover with foil until inside is fully set.

Serve immediately as a meal on its own!  Or pair it with some roasted veggies for dinner, some fresh melon and berries for brunch, or, I don't know, a donut for breakfast?  Yes, a donut.  That sounds right.

Now go out and buy yourself an emergency pie crust!