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Fire Roasted Peppers and Steak Quiche

This was kicking around in my head for a couple of weeks, trying to get the right mixture of spices that wouldn’t overpower the favors from the primary ingredients. And I was having a debate with myself on whether to add the meat or not. I just couldn’t go without the meat, but if you like simply drop the meat altogether and add a few extra peppers to the mix to make up for the lost volume and you’ve got a “vegan” quiche.

Fire Roasted Peppers and Steak
Fire Roasted Peppers and Steak
But this one still has the beef. By basically grilling the peppers until they are a little charred, it brings out the roasted flavor in the peppers while also keeping the flavors that you’d have if you simply fried them in a pan. This method or cooking peppers, I’ve been doing for a couple of years with great results. So here is the recipe for the fire roasted peppers and steak quiche.

Serves 8 – 10 (makes one quiche)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb Sweet Baby Peppers (about 8 – 10 peppers)
  • 1/2 lb Thin Flank Steak
  • 1/2 of 14.5 oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup shredded 4 Cheese Italian Blend
  • 1 9 in Pie Crust (your choice)
  • 3 Tbsp Greek Yogurt
  • 3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 2 tsp ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Sea Salt

Preparation

Get your grill going at a medium to medium high heat. Coat the Sweet Baby Peppers with a thin coating of Olive Oil and season with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Prepare the steak by coating lightly with either a fajita seasoning or coat lightly with olive oil then add salt and pepper to taste. Put the peppers on the grill and cook until there is a good char on the outside of the peppers, should be about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and allow to cool. Add the steak onto the grill and cook until you’ve got a good grill marks on the outside, no more than 5 minutes per side. You’re trying for medium rare to medium cooked. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before handling further. This is all you’ll need the grill for.

Prepare your crust as you normally would for a precooked pie crust. By this time the peppers and steak should be cooled enough to handle. Loosely chop up the peppers and the steak into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch. Properly store these two ingredients separately until ready for final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix together the pieces of peppers and steak completely. Open and drain the can of tomatoes and add half of the can to the pepper and steak mixture. Place the whole mixture into the pie crust and top with about half of the shredded cheese. In a large mixing bowl combine the Yogurt, Cream and Eggs together and whisk until fully mixed and fluffy. This usually takes about 4 minutes, and you should add salt and pepper to taste about midway through mixing. Pour the egg mixture over the filling in the pie crusts until almost to the top of the crust. Top with the remaining cheese and put into the oven for 35 – 40 minutes or until lightly golden browned on top. Remove from the oven and either serve or pack it up to take to the rink.

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Chipotle Beef Quiche

Sorry that we’ve been away for the last couple of weeks, there hasn’t been any ice available for us due to a big USA Hockey Camp, so no need to cook. And to make matters worse, we were going to post a recipe for Georgian Khinkali but every batch we make fails in some way. So we made this Chipotle Beef Quiche, because we knew it would be successful.

Chipotle Beef with Corn Salsa
Chipotle Beef with Corn Salsa
This one was inspired by a recent lunch at Chili’s. I’m guessing that Chili’s made their own version of a Chipotle’s burrito in bowl form, but who knows. They call theirs “Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl” and this is just different enough that it got my interest. And it tasted good enough to try making it a quiche that tastes similar. The ingredients in this are pretty standard, except for the Chipotle Pesto Sauce that is drizzled all over it. It’s quite tasty and as usual, this disappeared quickly after the skate.

And on a side note, going foward the ingredients portions will be sized for one quiche, since most people will only cook a single pie at a time.

Serves 8 – 12 (1 Quiche)

Ingredients

  • 1 8 – 10 oz. portion of Flank Steak (or other cut to your preference)
  • 1/2 14.5 oz. can of Roasted Sweet Corn
  • 1/2 14.5 oz. can of Black Beans
  • 1/4 Red Onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 Jalapeño (seeds removed and finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup cooked Rice
  • 1/4 cup Cilantro (finely chopped)
  • 1 Lime (halved)

Chipotle Pesto

  • 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo (remove seeds for less heat)
  • 3 Tbsp Hummus or Ground Chickpeas (use Pine Nuts for a traditional flavor)
  • 1/4 cup fresh Cilantro (chopped)
  • 2 cloves Garlic (grated)
  • 1/4 cup Queso Fresco (crumbled)
  • 2 – 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Salt 
  • 1 tsp Ground Pepper

Quiche Filling

  • 4 large Eggs
  • 4 oz. Greek Yougert
  • 4 oz. Half and Half
  • 1/4 cup shredded Habanero Jack Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Tostada Strips

Preparation

Prepare and grill the flank steak in the manner that you find best. But my favorite is to simply sprinkle some salt and pepper or Monterrey Seasoning on each side and grill till medium on an open flame. Then let it rest while you prepare the other portions. 

The Chipotle Pesto is made by in a food processor or blender, by first blending together the grated garlic and olive oil. Allow that to sit for about five minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Then pulse the machine while adding in the rest of the ingredients. When everything is in, run the machine for at least another 20 seconds. Remove and store in a glass container until final assembly. This will probably make about 1/2 cup of the Pesto and I recommend only using about 4 oz. in the quiche filling so you’ll have some to snack on. It’s great as a dip or even spread on bread.

The corn and bean salsa is made by combining the beans, corn, onion, jalapeño and half of the chopped cilantro in a mixing bowl. The beans and corn should be drained before mixing. After everything is fully mixed  squeeze in half of the lime and mix a little more. Store this in another glass container until final assembly.

Prepare the rice according to the package, and allow to cool until lukewarm. Then mix in the remaining chopped cilantro and squeeze the other half of the lime over the rice. Mix completely and refrigerate in a glass container until ready for final assembly. 

By now the meat has rested enough, so chop it into small squares, no larger than 1/2 inch. Refrigerate separately until ready for final assembly. 

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat the oven to 380 F. Combine the chopped steak, corn and bean salsa and seasoned rice into the pie crusts and make sure they are thoroughly mixed. Prepare the egg filling by whisking together the eggs, yogurt, Half and Half and the Chipolte Pesto. I recommend about 4 oz. of the pesto, but a little more doesn’t hurt. Beat until fluffy, adding some salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the other fillings in the pie crust and top with a layer of shredded cheese. Then add the tostada strips on top. Place in the oven and cook for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the cheese just starts to brown a bit. Remove and either serve or pack it up for the rink.

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Santa Muerte Meat Pie

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Fruity Santa Muerte Meat Pie
Fruity Santa Muerte Meat Pie

This one is inspired by a taco I had on a trip to Phoenix, from a little taco shop called La Santisima.  This is a mixture of caramelized fruits, nuts, peppers and a tasty picadillo style meat.  We took all the fun of the little taco and dumped it to another variation of the Tourtière or meat pie.  Fruity, tasty and not at all hot, even though there are some hot peppers in it.  Easy to make too.  And the name is meant to honor the taco shop’s patron saint.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 pies)

Ingredients

Meat Filling

  • 3/4 lb of Ground Pork
  • 3/4 lb of Ground Beef
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 large White Onion, finely chopped
  • 4 oz Raisins
  • 1 Tbsp ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt

Fruit Filling

  • 4 Roasted Green Chile, cleaned and diced
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 large White Onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup Almonds, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
  • 1 Pear, cubed
  • 1 Apple, cubed
  • 1 medium vine ripened Tomato, cubed
  • 1 Tbsp ground Black Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Sage
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon

The Rest

  • 2 9 – 1/2 inch Pie Pans
  • 4 Pastry Pie Crusts, 2 for each pie
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Mexican Crema or Creme Fraiche
  • 1/2 cup Queso Fresco Cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup Pomegranates (if you can get them)

Preparation

Meat Filling

In a large skillet (cast iron if possible), over medium-high heat, add the oil and allow to heat up.  In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for the meat filling, except the oil.  When the oil in the skillet is hot enough transfer the meat mixture and cook until the meat has some nice brown edges and the onions are starting to brown as well.  Remove the meat filling from the skillet and drain the excess grease off.  Allow to cool and place this meat filling in a container and refrigerate until final assembly.

Fruit Filling

First prepare your roasted Green Chile.  I pick up good Anaheim or NM Big Jim Green Peppers and roast them on the grill until the skin is turning mostly black.  Then allow them to cool until your can handle them.  Clean by removing the skin and stems.  Dice this up into 1/2 inch pieces.  If you want to skip the above step entirely, get a 1/2 cup of El Pinto or Colorado Roasted Green Chile Sauce, instead.

In an oiled large skillet, over medium-high heat, combine the Garlic and Onions and cook until they start to turn translucent.  Then add in the Almonds, Sunflower Seeds and the cubed Pear and Apple.  Saute this for about 5 minutes.  Then add in the Tomato, Green Chile, Pepper, Sage and Cinnamon.  Saute this until it starts to boil.  Then reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 15 minutes, uncovered and stirring occasionally, to reduce the liquid.  Remove and strain this filling too.  This liquid you want to use so drain that into a separate container and refrigerate both until ready for final assembly.

Pie Crusts

Again I used store bought crusts as this saves quite a bit of time.  Remember that you need enough for the top and bottom of the pie.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat oven to 420 F.  In a large mixing bowl and add in the Eggs, Crema and the liquid you reserved from cooking the Fruit Filling above.  Mix thoroughly, whisking for at least 4 minutes.  Then mix in the both fillings you prepared above and the Queso Fresco Cheese.  Halve this mixture and place into each of the pie crusts.  Top with a handful of Pomegranate seeds.  Place the top layer of crust on top of the filled pie.  Trim the pastry and make sure to seal the edges.  Cut some steam vents in the top crusts.  You could get creative here by making the slits look like a skull, and use some extra Pomegranates to fill the eye holes.  Wrap the edges with 2 inch strips of aluminum foil.  Put into the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil strips and reduce the heat to 375 F, and bake for another 25 minutes or so.  Remove when the crust is golden.  Either serve or pack them up to take to the to the rink.

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Southwestern Meat Pie

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Southwestern Tortiere
Southwestern Tortiere

Last week we made a traditional Tortière.  This week we’ve added a little Southwestern flair to the meat pie by adding in our favorite fruit, Green Chile!  We had to add a couple of other ingredients to take the heat level down a bit, so the Northern boy’s could still eat this.  We also discovered that topping these with flakes of cheese, doesn’t really work.  That is what those flakes that look like chocolate are on the crust.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 pies)

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 lb of Ground Pork
  • 1 lb of Ground Beef
  • 1 cups Water
  • 1 large White Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Russet Potatoes, cubed to 1/2 inch size
  • 6 Roasted Green Chile, cleaned and diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp All Spice
  • 2 Tbsp Sage
  • 1 tsp Rosemary
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • Salt to taste

The Rest

  • 2 9 – 1/2 inch Pie Pans
  • 4 Pastry Pie Crusts, 2 for each pie (this time we tried Gluten Free)
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Mexican Crema or Creme Fraiche
  • 1/2 cup Asadero Cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Preparation

Filling

First prepare your roasted Green Chile.  I pick up good Anaheim or NM Big Jim Green Peppers and roast them on the grill until the skin is turning mostly black.  Then allow them to cool until your can handle them.  Clean by removing the skin and stems.  Dice this up into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large skillet (cast iron if possible), over medium-high heat, add the meat and water and bring to a boil.  Add everything else except for the Salt.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and continue cooking for one and a half hours.  Stir this about every 15 – 20 minutes.  Add a little more water if the mixture dries out.  Near the end add the Salt.  When done this mixture should contain just a thin layer of liquid in the bottom of the skillet.  Remove from heat and place in a container and refrigerate until final assembly.

If you really want to get tricky, de-glaze the skillet with 1/4 cup of red wine, and save that separate to add in during final assembly.

Pie Crusts

Again I used store bought crusts, these were from Trader Joe’s and were gluten free and even tastier than the others.  Just remember that you need enough for the top and bottom of the pie.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat oven to 420 F.  In a large mixing bowl and add in the Eggs, Crema and Cinnamon and mix thoroughly, whisking for at least 4 minutes.  Then mix in the filling you prepared above and the Asadero Cheese.  Halve this mixture and place into each of the pie crusts.  Place the top layer of crust on top of the filled pie.  Trim the pastry and make sure to seal the edges.  Cut some steam vents in the top crusts.  This is where I went wrong with the sprinkling of some Cheese on the top of the meat pies.  Just don’t do it.  It doesn’t ruin the flavors, it just raises questions.  Wrap the edges with 2 inch strips of aluminum foil.  Put into the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil strips and reduce the heat to 375 F, and bake for another 25 minutes or so.  Remove when the crust is golden.  Either serve or pack them up to take to the to the rink.

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Tourtiere (French for Meat Pie)

Tourtiere (French Meat Pie)
Tourtiere (French Meat Pie)

Tourtière is a French-Canadian name for a meat pie traditionally eaten at Christmas in Eastern Canada.  I had never heard of this until a few days ago when searching for a new dish for the weekend game.  I literally stumbled across these at the bottom of a search for meat pies.  It looked good, so what the heck.  The fellas all liked this and some even said they preferred this to the regular quiche.  Although this is not quite the traditional recipe, I added a few more eggs to hold it together better, it seems to taste exactly like the traditional tourtière.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 pies)

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 lb of Ground Pork
  • 1 lb of Ground Beef
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1 large White Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Russet Potatoes, cubed to 1/2 inch size
  • 1 Tbsp ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp All Spice
  • 1 Tbsp Savory
  • 1 tsp Rosemary
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • Salt to taste

The Rest

  • 2 9 – 1/2 inch Pie Pans
  • 4 Pastry Pie Crusts, 2 for each pie
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Half and Half
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Preparation

Filling

In a large skillet (cast iron if possible), over medium-high heat, add the meat and water and bring to a boil.  Add everything else except for the Salt.  Continue cooking, reduce the heat to low, and cover for one and a half hours.  Stir this about every 15 – 20 minutes and add more water if the mixture dries out.  Near the end add the Salt.  When done this mixture should contain just a thin layer of liquid in the bottom of the skillet.  Remove from heat and place in a container and refrigerate until final assembly.

Pie Crusts

I’ve used store bought crusts and strangely they were pretty good.  If you make your own crusts, start early.  Just remember that you need enough for the top and bottom of the pie.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat oven to 420 F.  In a large mixing bowl and add in the Eggs, Half and Half and extra Cinnamon and mix thoroughly, whisking for at least 4 minutes.  Then mix in the filling you prepared above.  Half this mixture and place into each of the pie crusts.  Place the top layer of crust on top of the filled pie.  Trim the pastry and make sure to seal the edges.  Cut some steam vents in the top crusts.  Wrap the edges with 2 inch strips of aluminum foil.  Put into the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil strips and reduce the heat to 375 F, and bake for another 25 minutes or so.  Remove when the crust is golden.  Either serve or pack them up to take to the to the rink.