Monday, March 3, 2008

Mushroom Asparagus Quiche

I love asparagus. I have always loved it. Even when I was a young punk kid, asparagus was always one of my favorite vegetables. I think it's one of the veggies that you either love or hate, there doesn't seem to be much middle ground when it comes to the tender young shoots of the Eurasian plant (Merriam Webster pulls through again).

My favorite way to eat it is marinated in a bit of good olive oil with some garlic, add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of sea salt, pop it on the grill and I am in heaven. I am always looking for recipes which include it. I found this one in one of my Taste of Home magazines. It was really fast and easy to throw together and was truly very tasty. A keeper for sure. Asparagus & mushrooms..... all is right with the world.

Mushroom Asparagus Quiche
1 tub (8 ounces) crescent rolls
2 teaspoons prepared mustard (I used Gray Poupon)
1 ½ pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces (I used one bunch)
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I used one whole pkg of baby bellas)
¼ cup butter, cubed (I used a half this amount & added some olive oil instead)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups, shredded part-skim mozzarella
¼ cup fresh minced parsley
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder (I used fresh garlic when the veggies were cooking)
¼ teaspoon each dried basil, oregano & rubbed sage (I just used a good shake of Italian seasoning)

Separate the crescent dough into eight triangles and place them in the bottom of an un-greased 9 inch pie plate with the points towards the center. Press into the bottom of the pan to form a crust. Seal perforations. You might find that the middle gets a bit thick. I snipped off the really thick parts and patch up areas that seemed a little thin.

Spread the crust with the mustard and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté the asparagus, onion and mushrooms in butter until the asparagus is crisp-tender (what the hell is crisp-tender??) Just cook it until they look right to you. You don’t want the veggies all soggy, but you do want them cooked a bit.

In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients, stir in the veggies mixture and pour into crust. Bake at 375 for 25 – 30 minutes or until a knife inserted neat the edge comes clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

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