"Quiche"

I call this a quiche, though I’ve never actually had a quiche made by anyone but me, and I think this is kind of heartier than a usual quiche. For example, I frequently bake this in a souffle dish, making it very thick and totally inelegant.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

• 2 c. Flour
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 4 tbsp. chilled Vegetable Shortening (e.g., Crisco)
• 1 1/2 sticks of Butter
• 1/3 c. Ice Water (more as necessary for consistency)

Mix dry ingredients, then add a little shortening at a time, rubbing softly between forefingers to incorporate flour. Continue until all the shortening is reduced to oatmeal flake-size pieces. Do the same with the butter. Mix in water. Chill dough in freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes.

Spread with the heel of the hand on a floured surface. Roll out very thin, then carefully put the shell in whatever you will use for the quiche. If the crust will have a hard time maintaining its own shape while baking, line with parchment or waxed paper, and weight with dried beans. Bake for about ten minutes, or until lightly browned.

• 4 strips of Bacon
• 1/2 package of Spinach (about 5 oz.)
• 1/4 lb. chopped Mushrooms
• about 8 or 10 oz. of various Cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, Mozarella, ...)
• 1 c. Cream or Whipping Cream
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 3 Eggs

While the crust is baking, boil bacon and spinach together for about five minutes. Sautee mushrooms in a little butter and maybe a splash of wine for about five minutes. Drain water from bacon and spinach pot. Reduce heat to low, and drop in cheese, pour in cream, add onion powder and mushrooms. Stir occasionally, trying to melt the cheese before the crust is finished. Just before filling the crust, add eggs and stir.

Reduce heat to 325°F. Add filling to crust. Bake for about a half hour, depending on how deep your dish is. The top should have just started to turn brown.