Butternut Squash, Leek, Feta, Spinach & Pine Nut Quiche

I had stretched myself thin the other day and needed backup badly. Ruedi wound up making the quiche pastry and then the quiche filling for this post and the result was magnificent. Maybe all the more so because I didn't make it myself. 'Tis good not to be the only cook in the house. Now if I could just get Cat to vacuum, I'd be set.

This recipe was intended to be crustless, but I dig crusty quiches, so we had one with and one without.  Take advantage of whatever you have in the fridge that needs to be used up as alternative ingredients. This is why quiches are such favourites: there are so many options as far as ingredient combinations.  Make a big salad to accompany it and pat yourself on the back for having created a light, but gourmet meal. Then proceed to dig your secret stash of brownies out of your bedside table and pound them back after dinner to help balance your chi.





























Filling Adapted From: http://bibbyskitchenat36.com

Crust From: http://www.food.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup ice water

Filling

• 3 T olive oil
• 2 cups roasted butternut squash
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 200g spinach leaves
• zest and juice of half a lemon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 t wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1/3 cup mature white cheddar
• 100g feta
• handful of pine nuts
• salt and pepper

Method

Crust: Mix the flour and salt together with a fork. Beat oil and water with a whisk or a fork to thicken. Pour into flour and mix with a fork. Press into a 9" pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F and then remove from heat.

Filling: Preheat oven to 400F. Peel and cube the butternut squash. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add shallot and saute for 2 minutes. Add the leeks and let cook until soft. Toss in the spinach, allowing to wilt and then follow with the lemon, zest, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

In a bowl combine the eggs, milk, mustard and oregano. Add a pinch of salt and the grated cheese, combining well.

Place half of the squash in the bottom of the crust-covered pie pan and the other half in a pie pan without crust that has been greased with a little olive oil. Follow with the spinach and leek mix in both pans and then the egg mixture. Top with crumbled feta and the pine nuts. Bake at 400F for 30-35 minutes.

Maple Beef Tenderloin with Chocolate Red Wine Jus & Leek & Potato Mash

Yes it tastes as good as it looks; even better actually. The recipe was a finalist in the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef's Competition in Toronto. That I learned from the blog I pilfered this bad boy from. The recipe intimidated me at first, but it looked so good I figured that even if I didn't get it just right, it would be delicious.  As expected, I didn't reach the pinnacle of perfection here: the potatoes were a bit lumpy, I didn't have juniper berries for the beef marinade and my wine wasn't exactly a Meritage variety. I'll get there. At least I'd like try getting there and I'm going to enjoy the journey of making this again with all the right ingredients and a potato ricer, my father's secret for perfect mashed potatoes. At this stage in my culinary journey, I just felt fulfilled attempting it. Now I also feel fulfilled having eaten it!

Adapted: http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/

Serves 8 

Beef Tenderloin

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 T chopped fresh thyme
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 kg of beef tenderloin
• Pinch of salt and freshly ground red pepper

Chocolate Red Wine Jus

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 leek, white and light green part, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup of dry red wine
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 90g of dark chocolate (90% cocoa)
• 1 T red wine vinegar

Leek & Potato Mash

• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 leek, white and light green part, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 t salt
• 625 g of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup warm milk

Beef Tenderloin

In a large dish, combine the maple syrup, thyme and garlic. Add the loin, turning to coat evenly and let marinate for fifteen minutes. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Place the loin on a rack in a roasting pan, and roast the meat at 450F for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to 275F and continue cooking for one hour. Let stand for about five minutes before slicing. 

Chocolate Red Wine Jus

In a saucepan heat the butter on medium-high heat and saute the carrot, onion, leek and bay leaves, stirring occasionally for about ten minutes, or until softened. Add the wine and simmer for about five minutes or until reduced by half. Add beef stock and simmer for about ten minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve or cheese cloth into a clean sauce pan. With the sauce pan on medium heat, whisk in the chocolate and melted butter. Once blended, add the red wine vinegar and set aside. 


Leek & Potato Mash

In a non-stick skillet, heat a tablespoon of butter on medium heat until melted. Add the leeks, stirring occasionally and let cook for ten minutes. Stir in the parsley and salt and set aside. Bring the potatoes and thyme to a boil in a large pot of water. This should take about twenty minutes. Drain well and mash until smooth. Add the remaining butter and milk stirring well to combine. Finally, fold in the leek and parsley mixture so that it's all combined. Set aside and keep warm.

To assemble, spoon a few tablespoonfuls of the leek and potato mix onto a plate. Place the tenderloin slices on top and drizzle the jus on the side or overtop of the beef.