Quiche with Spinach, Pancetta and Goat Cheese

Quiche the Cook!

Some of my best childhood memories center around food - some might think this a bad thing, but Italians love food and good food means someone was lovingly working their fingers to the bone to prepare it (LOTS of it) while hungry friends and family waited with bated breath to snarf it down.

One of my childhood faves was a savory Italian Meat Pie with rich ingredients like ricotta, eggs, provolone, and Italian meats baked nice and snug in a flour crust.  OK - is it just me, or are you wondering, as I am, how Giada (you know, the gorgeous size zero "Italian" from Food Network) can make such delectable food and stay so tiny?  She's probably Scandinavian, dies her hair brown, and is friends with Vanilla Ice....but I digress.  (Please rest assured I'm a big fan of hers...just a little bitter.)

Obviously, my mom's meat pie would not work with our grain free, mostly dairy free eating.  I came up with this quiche recipe after seeing a recipe for Easy Oven Omelet by Kelly Brozyna at The Spunky Coconut and dreaming of my mom's meat pie. 

As I've said before, my family can tolerate goat cheese, as it is known to be well-digested by those who are lactose intolerant, but - if you're not sure that you can handle it, you can leave it out all together, or substitute Parmesan cheese.  (Sometimes hard cheeses are better tolerated by lactose intolerant peeps.)  My children prefer the Parmesan, but I'm trying to convert them since our pediatrician said that sheep and goat's milk cheeses are easiest to digest.

You will notice the "custard" part of this quiche contains cashew milk.  This is a staple in our home.  It has a lovely consistency and flavor.  Elana Amsterdam at Elana's Pantry did a very instructional post about how to make this delicious milk.  Please check it out.  

Quiche with Spinach, Pancetta and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

16 oz. package of fresh spinach

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced (TRUTH?  I use 2 - but I'm a garlic lover)

4 oz. pkg of Applegate Farms Genoa Salami or Soppressata, diced

4 oz. pkg Applegate Farms Pancetta, diced

1 small log goat cheese OR 1/2 of 11 oz. log OR 1 cup Parmesan

7 large eggs

3/4 cup cashew milk

Instructions:

Preheat ovent o 350F.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil into a glass or ceramic deep dish pie pan or large quiche dish.  (I use a glass Anchor Hocking deep dish pie pan that I got from Target with a pretty ruffled edge.)  Using your hands, spread olive oil to grease pan.

Heat saute pan on medium heat.  Once hot, add pancetta and stir until crisp.  Remove and add to pie pan.  Add remaining olive oil to saute pan and then add spinach, stirring until wilted.  Remove pan from heat and add garlic.  Stir for about 30 seconds.

Place spinach in fine colander pressing out extra moisture with back of spoon.  Then, spread in pie pan atop pancetta.  (I do not salt this recipe because the meats are salty enough.)

Sprinkle salami on top of spinach.  Next, dollop goat cheese on top, OR, if using, sprinkle Parmesan instead.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and cashew milk.  Pour over filling.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes.  Mangia!