Pancetta Zucchini Quiche

The story goes that I showed up at my mom's house one Christmas morning. I felt like I was late, the snow was high and the roads were slow, as such, I didnt arrive until 7am. To my surprise, none of my nieces or nephews were out of bed. They did not rouse until 10am on Christmas Morning! I realized then that the magic of that morning had faded and I vowed to bring it back.

The next year rolled around and I rolled in at 330am, laden with foodstuffs and bumping Old Blue Eyes. Coffee pot on, bacon working, and muttering curses from various bedrooms, I had started a family tradition. The next year, one of my nieces was up to greet me. It's been breakfast at 5am ever since.

The quiche played a part in that and is truly is a slice of my northern Ohio holiday traditions. I have *always* taken Christmas Breakfast seriously. Big spreads of decadent dishes served with fresh coffee and mimosas or the occasional chambord hot chocolate. This quiche fits right in, offering up a luscious, robust bite that is sure to encourage that mid morning nap.

This dish was to be paired with Sweet Cheese Crepes on Episode 5 of The Great American Recipe for the Holiday Traditions 90 Minute Challenge.

Author

Brian Leigh

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

6

Category

Entree

Cuisine

Americana

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tbsp Somethin' To Cluck About
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 8oz pancetta, diced
• 8oz fontina, shredded
• 1 cup of ricotta
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, render pancetta down.
2. Remove the pancetta and add onions to the rendered fat. Sautee for approximately 1 to 2 minutes or until translucent. Set aside to cool
3. Remove the onions and add the zucchini, cooking until the zucchini has developed color and is tender, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to cool
4. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, sour cream, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
5. Stir in fontina and set aside.
6. Combine flour, salt, black pepper and Somethin' To Cluck About together in a bowl.
7. Whisk olive oil and ice water together.
8. Mix the wet and the dry together until a dough is formed.
9. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/4 thickness and large enough to fit a 9 inch pie pan.
10. Press the dough into the pie pan and, using a fork, poke holes in the crust to release any steam that is created during cooking.
11. Layer the zucchini, onion and pancetta mixture in the pie crust and pour the custard on top.
12. Using your hands or a spatula, gently mix the contents together, ensuring that the custard fills every crevice and the filling is evenly dispersed throughout the pie crust.
13. Take in a 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly.
14. Let setup on the counter for 10 minutes before serving.