Asparagus and Courgette Quiche for Mom’s with sore hearts

Asparagus and Courgette Quiche

A few girl friends came over last night and it was good for my soul🍀. When our kids leave home to go off to varsity we are so very happy for them, but the void they leave behind can leave us feeling, empty, sad and in pain. It’s all those feelings that I experienced when Sarah left. It was so confusing for me because I was supposed to be happy for all she had achieved to get her to university.

I remember crying into my ears! I sat on the end of my bed the first Saturday morning after she had left. Brian and I were about to go out for breakfast which we usually did with Sarah. I flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling wondering “what’s the point?” The tears were pouring out of my eyes and there was no stopping them. My thoughts were contaminated with negative thoughts that I couldn’t for the life of me staunch. I felt this weird sensation in my ears. It was something I’d never experienced before. The warmth of my tears slipping out the sides of my eyes had joined a rivulet of friends where they met together in a pool in both my ears. My ears had filled with my tears. I stopped thinking and paid attention fully to that feeling, that sensation. I sat in that moment to really feel what I was feeling. I said to myself “never forget this moment”.

As I write this I want to cry again remembering how I felt that day. Today I can recall the memory not with pain but with joy. I can see how far Brian and I have come through that radical change where our daughter was no longer part of our every day lives. Sarah has blossomed into the most beautiful young woman we are immeasurably proud of. Time moves us through our pain to gently deliver us to a better place of acceptance. A place we can’t imagine in our moment of pain. I’m here to tell you it exists. I’m here to tell you if your child has left on their exciting journey don’t deny how you are feeling.

Gather your good friends around you, bake a pie and share with them what you are going through. They will hold you in that safe space to gently be there to support you. If you know a friend who is going through this, bake them something that brings them comfort.

Print

5 from 1 vote

Shortcrust pie shell – 27cm

Instructions

• 250g cake flour

  pinch salt

  1Tbls maizena

  1 tsp mustard powder

  125g butter

  2 Tbls cream Optional

  Sift the flour, maizena and mustard powder together. Add the salt and whisk together to ensure evenly mixed

  Rub butter into flour salt mix until it resembles fine bread crumbs

  Add 60 – 90ml cold water 1 Tbls at a time until dough comes together

  Add the cream and continue to blend

  Combine to form dough 

  Knead together and put into fridge for 30min to relax. Roll out until big enough to fit small quiche Pyrex dish (buttered) prick base 

  bake blind in oven at 180ºC degrees for 20 min

  Let it cool before filling. Can be frozen for later use. Cover in clingfilm and foil to ensure no freezer burn.

5 from 1 vote

Asparagus and Courgette Quiche

Servings 8

Ingredients

1 prepared Shortcrust pie case 28cm

• 1 tsp Hot English Mustard Powder

Quiche Filling

• 3 Tbls Olive Oil
• 340 g Green Asparagus Spears cut into thirds Tip – peel 4cm off the bottoms of the stems to remove the fibrous skin.
• 150 g courgettes sliced into pennies
• 1 onion finely chopped (150 – 160g)
• 4 stems spring onions finely sliced (40g)
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 Tbls preserved lemon oil – Optional use lemon zest and 1 tsp lemon juice
• 6 sweet basil leaves roughly torn
• 3 ex l eggs
• 150 ml cream
• 150 g feta cheese
• 150 g cream cheese
• 2-3 sprigs fresh origanum leaves
• 2 tsp sesame seeds optional

Instructions

• Add olive oil to large frying pan and place on high heat. Add onion and fry until translucent for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Now add the asparagus and maybe a dash more olive oil if the pan is too dry. You can also add 2 Tbls water. Make sure all the water evaporates. The steam from the water will cook the asparagus. The time to cook the asparagus will depend on their thickness. 3 – 5 mins should be plenty. Now add the courgettes and spring onions, stir for about a minute or two. The vegetables should hold their shape and not be mushy
• Stir in the preserved lemon oil and the torn basil and season to taste – set aside to cool

  yeild +-500g cooked vegetables
• In a separate bowl crumble in the feta cheese, add the cream, cream cheese and eggs. Whisk together until smooth and frothy. I use a stick blender for this job, but a hand whisk will do the job too.

Assembling Oven on 180ºC

• Sprinkle the mustard powder on the base of the prepared pie crust
• Sprinkle and spread the asparagus and courgette mix over the base of the pie crust
• Pour in the cream mix over the asparagus mix
• press the origanum leaves into the cream mix along with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
• Bake for 40 mins in a pre heated oven at 180ºC. Cool down for 5 minutes before serving with a gooseberry and sesame seed salad

Course: Light Meal