Quiche

What better food to cook in frugal times than one that originated with the peasants?  A quiche is a great way to use up eggs that are almost past their best and to make the most of left over cooked meats giving them a good stretch with some added cheese.  Once you have the basics of a pastry case, the eggs and some cheese, you can pretty much make up the remainder of the contents by having a rummage through the leftovers in your fridge.  Onions, peas, cooked ham, chicken, straggling salamis even that half a black pudding can all get a new lease of life as the filling of a quiche.  Here I’ve used the leftovers of a jar of cranberry sauce to line the pastry before filling it with the eggs, cheese and chunks of cooked ham and a stray spring onion.

You will need:
1 quantity of shortcrust pastry (see http://gimmetherecipe.com/2010/06/04/rhubarb-custard/ for pastry recipe or you can buy frozen pastry in the supermarket.  Remember to thaw it out in the fridge the night before.)
3 eggs
2tbsps Dijon mustard
80ml cream
150g gruyere or any hard cheese (a combination of cheddar and parmesan works well too)
half jar cranberry sauce
cooked ham (whatever you have,  you’re stretching it)
1 or 2 spring onions
Method:
Pre-heat the oven 180^oC / Gas Mark 6
Make up the shortcrust pastry and bake blind (partially bake weighed down with dried beans or pie weights) for 15 minutes.
While the pastry is baking blind prepare the filling you are using, in this case chop up the ham and the spring onions.
Whisk the eggs, Dijon mustard and cream together in a bowl.
Grate the cheese and add it to the whisked egg mix.
Season the mix with salt and black pepper and add the ham and spring onion.
Use a spoon to smear the cranberry sauce inside the base and sides of the part-baked pastry case.
Pour in the egg and cheese mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until set.
Enjoy.

This is my contribution to Irish Cookalongs for this month’s #cheapandcheerful cookalong.  For other ideas on budget friendly foods why not head over to the Irish Cookalongs facebook page for a look (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102711646449318)
Til next time, Sheila.