Pass the Prosciutto: Parma Ham & Veggie Quiche with Potato Crust

Fri, Nov 15, 2013

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Through Honest Cooking I have had the opportunity to work on the Pass the Prosciutto – Gluten Free Holiday Entertaining campaign with Prosciutto di Parma. The Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma (the organization that certifies this ham from the hills around Parma, Italy and gives the brand of ham its quality seal of approval) is celebrating 50 years although the tradition of making this ham is more than 1,000 years old.

Prosciutto is tasty on its own and can take any fruit and cheese platter up a notch for the simplest of holiday appetizers. However, I have enjoyed cooking with prosciutto and I’ve found that it can be used in a wide variety of dishes. {You can check out what else I’ve been up to with my Parma Ham: Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers and Prosciutto Cornbread.}

When I think of the holiday season I think of traditions. On several different occasions in the upcoming months my family will enjoy a special breakfast feast. One of our traditional favorites is egg dish. Now I realize that messing with meal traditions is a touchy subject. Depending on the day, I sometimes cling to tradition and other times have an appetite for adventure. Though I look forward to my traditional meals, I also love to experiment, and since my trials were well ahead of time I decided to work with an egg entrée. I’m not in any way unhappy with our family’s egg dish, but I have always been intrigued with quiche. I wanted to make a lighter {yet no less flavorful} version than most traditional quiches that are cream-laden and made with a buttery pie crust. I remembered a quiche with potato {hash brown} crust that my cousin made a few years back.

The first time, I primarily used egg whites and milk instead of cream in this veggie-loaded, gluten-free quiche. A second time, I made individual quiches in both greased muffin liners and small ramekins, using whole eggs and a simpler filling combo of mushrooms and Parma ham. The thin shreds of prosciutto add a light saltiness to the quiche and a rich flavor that complement a wide variety of veggies. That’s what makes this quiche perfect for the busy holidays {or any other time of year}. You can use a variety of filling options, either planning in advance and purchasing specific ingredients or throwing together ingredients that you have on hand, to make a simple yet elegant family meal or holiday brunch party dish. You can even prepare the quiche in advance and then bake them piping hot as needed to order.

My conclusion: the complexity of Parma Ham, which is somehow both light and rich, works beautifully in this quiche and makes the dish worthy of a {new} family tradition.

Now enough about me! I would love to hear from you: what are some of your favorite food traditions during the holiday season? Are you a stickler with food traditions or are you up for changing out foods and recipes?

Pass the Prosciutto: Parma Ham & Veggie Quiche with Potato Crust

Recipe Type: Brunch

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 8

The thin shreds of prosciutto add a light saltiness to the quiche and a rich flavor that complement a wide variety of veggies.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups egg white (or 8 eggs)
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup feta
1/2 milk
3/4 tsp paprika, divided
3/4 tsp garlic powder, divided
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1 large Russet potato, peeled and grated
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 -1 cup chopped leek
1/2 cup shreds of Prosciutto di Parma
1/2 cup chopped spinach

Instructions

Press the grated potato in paper towels to remove excess water.
Dump the grated potato into a glass pie pan and toss with a splash of olive oil, dash of salt and pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Firmly press the grated potato mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, to form the crust. (Or into greased muffin liners or individual oven-safe ramekins.)
Bake the potato crust at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until it is starting to brown.
In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk feta and seasoning (dash each of salt & pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp paprika).
In a large pan coated with olive oil, sauté the bell pepper, garlic, onion and leek over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
Add a dash of salt and pepper, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp paprika and continue sautéing for several minutes more to bring out the flavors of the seasoning.
Just before the sautéed mixture starts to stick to the pan, remove it from the heat.
Stir the spinach, ham and sautéed mix into the eggs.
Pour the egg mixture into the baked potato crust and bake the quiche at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is set. Individual quiches will cook for a shorter time, depending on the size. (The egg mixture should not jiggle around – the liquid should be set – and a knife inserted should come out fairly clean.)

Follow Parma Ham on Twitter for a chance to win $50 worth of the world’s most famous ham. Click on the banner below to participate. This post is a collaboration between the blogger and Parma Ham.