Dishing Up the Dirt

Turnip & Chorizo Quiche

As we gear up for another farm season I’m excited to start cooking more meals highlighting produce from our farm and meat from fellow local ranchers.  I think now more than ever, folks are anxious to support local producers and know exactly who and how their food is being grown. We’ve personally had more demand than ever for memberships into our farm CSA this season and we’re hearing the same thing over and over again from fellow farmers and ranchers. I think folks are finally realizing that a centralized food system is a weak one. And it really is highlighted during this uncertain time.

With more demand for local and in season food I feel it’s also imporant to share simple recipes that incorporate some of the ingredients that people may not be as familiar with cooking. Spring is a great time of the year to pick up turnips from your local farmers market. They are absolutely divine and can be prepared in so many different ways. I love them sliced thinly and eaten raw in a salad, roasted with butter and sea salt, and then of course added to different dishes to bulk them up a bit. This quiche is a great recipe to help you use up a lot of the spring bounty. It’s chock full of flavor and almost all of the ingredient should be easy enough to find at your local market or from local farmers. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do. And of course, the beauty of a quiche is that it can be enjoyed for breakfast with a cup of coffee, lunch with a side salad, or dinner with a glass of wine and simple grilled veggies as your side.

Cheers to the spring bounty!

Turnip & Chorizo Quiche

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 1 hour    Serves: 6

Crust:
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 3-4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
  • 1 pound ground chorizo (you can sub spicy Italian sausage)
  • butter or oil if needed
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • hefty pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 stalks green garlic, minced (or 3 cloves of garlic)
  • 3-4 small Japanese turnips with their greens, turnips chopped into a large dice and greens finely chopped
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 4-6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • minced parsley for topping

Preparation

  1. In a food processor pulse the flour and salt. Add the cold butter and pulse 14-16 times or until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of ice water and pulse again or until the dough holds together when squeezed between two fingers. If the dough is too dry or crumbly add another 1-2 tablespoons of ice water. Don't over mix.
  2. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick disk. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or even overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375F. On a lightly floured surface roll out your dough into approximately a 12-inch round. Place the dough in a lightly oiled 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhand under and crimp the edges. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the dough and cover with pie weights or dried beans. Pre-bake the pie until the edges are lightly golden, about 2o minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat cook the chorizo. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat a bit and cook until lightly browned and not longer pink. About 5-7 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove the meat to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
  5. Add a touch of butter or oil to the pan (if it's too dry) add the onion, salt and thyme and cook over medium-high heat until soften and lightly browned. Add the green garlic and turnips. Cook until the veggies are softened and fragrant about 5 minutes. Add the cooked chorizo back to the pan along with the chopped turnip greens and cook a few minutes longer until the greens wilt a bit and the mixture is well combined. Remove from the heat and scoop the filling into the prepared pie curst.
  6. In a medium size bowl whisk together the eggs and cream with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over the meat/veggie mixture and sprinkle with the cheese. Place in the oven and bake until the eggs are just set, about 45-50 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with parsley, slice and serve.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. Cooking times will very from kitchen to kitchen.


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One thought on “Turnip & Chorizo Quiche

  1. JK says:

    Yet another winning recipe! I posted a photo on social media, linked to you and now everyone wants to make this 🙂 Thanks Andrea.

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