Quiche is an anytime food that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There are many varieties of this type of pie—from vegetarian to seafood, and everything in between. Seasonal asparagus, spinach and onions often are found in quiche recipes like the one that follows.

According to foodreference.com, quiche originated in Germany, in the medieval kindgdom of Lothringen, which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word quiche is from the German word kuchen, which means cake.

The original Quiche Lorraine was an open pie with a filling of egg-and-cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added. If you add onions, it’s called Quiche Alsacienne.

Quiche became popular in England sometime after World War II and in the United States during the 1950s. Because of its primarily vegetarian ingredients, it was at one time considered an ‘unmanly’ dish, as evidenced by and the expression “Real men don’t eat quiche.”

Shelley Barlow, a Suffolk farmer, provided the following recipe for the Cooking Virginia Style With Farm Bureau Women cookbook. She calls it a “miscellaneous quiche” recipe, but we call it springtime in a quiche. It includes a basic recipe and then suggestions for seasonal ingredients to add.

Spring Veggie Quiche

3 eggs
1¼ cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 9” deep-dish pie crust, unbaked
1 ½-2 cups miscellaneous filling
Miscellaneous filling:
grated cheese
sautéed bell peppers
broccoli, cooked and chopped
asparagus, cooked and chopped
sautéed onions and garlic
fresh spinach, wilted
shrimp or chicken, cooked and chopped
zucchini, yellow squash or carrots, grated
sautéed mushrooms

Feel free to mix and match the miscellaneous fillings to equal 2 cups.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper and basil in a bowl with a whisk. Place miscellaneous filling into the crust. Pour egg mixture over the filling. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pie has set.