Pisto Manchego Quiche recipe from Daisy’s Holiday Cooking: Delicious Latin Recipes for Effortless Entertaining by Daisy Martinez
Author Daisy Martinez on her Pisto Manchego Quiche:
I think of “pisto manchego” as a Spanish version of ratatouille–a mix of eggplant, peppers, squash, onions, and tomatoes, with the occasional carmelized potatoes tossed in. It is a warm weather favorite of mine. I love “pisto manchego” just about any way–on its own, as a base for poached eggs for brunch, or even tucked into a creamy-custardy quiche. “Pisto manchego” is all about the beauty of the raw ingredients that go into it. As for the herbs, feel free to play around: add some parsley along with the thyme or a little pinch of very finely chopped rosemary instead of the thyme.
Cooks&Books&Recipes {Dee}:
THE RECIPE. We loved the sound of “pisto manchego” before we even knew what it was. Once we read that it’s a Spanish version of ratatouille, the idea of making it into a quiche intrigued us as well. Like most quiche recipes, this pisto manchego quiche was simple to prepare. We admit, though, that we peeled our zucchini and cubed it before browning. Old habits and all that.
THE RESULT. Eggplant in quiche? Why not? Since Daisy said that caramelized potatoes and fresh rosemary are often used, we added those as well. For us, the potatoes made the pisto manchego quiche just a bit more substantial as a main dish.All of the vegetables melded deliciously with the custard and crust. Visually, this is gorgeous for a Christmas brunch, especially with the red of the grape tomatoes and the green of the rosemary and zucchini (and there’s the reason we should NOT have peeled those zucchini!).
Pisto Manchego Quiche
Featured Recipe From: Daisy's Holiday Cooking: Delicious Latin Recipes for Effortless Entertaining
Yield: Makes two 9- inch quiches (16 slices)
Ingredients:
- Two 9-inch premade pie shells
- 1 large eggplant (about 1¼ pounds)
- 2 teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ small onion, cut into ¼-inch slices (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium-large zucchini (about 9 ounces), topped and tailed and cut into quarters lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 extra-large eggs
- Pinch of ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 ounces smoked Gouda, coarsely shredded (2 lightly packed cups)
- ¾ cup halved grape tomatoes
Directions:
1. Prebake the pie shells (see Note).
2. Peel the eggplant and cut it into ½-inch cubes. Toss the cubes together with the 2 teaspoons salt in a bowl. Let stand until some of the eggplant juices are drawn out, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is lightly browned and softened, about 8 minutes. Scoop the onion out of the pan into a bowl. Add the zucchini (and a little more oil if there isn’t enough to coat the bottom of the pan), cut side down, to the pan and cook, turning as necessary, until all cut sides are browned, about 10 minutes. (Browning the zucchini quarters before cutting them into cubes is easier than trying to brown all sides of the little cubes.) Cut the zucchini crosswise into ½-inch pieces and add to the bowl with the onion. Remove the pan from the heat while you tend to the eggplant.
4. Blot the eggplant dry as thoroughly as possible. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is browned on most sides, about 10 minutes. The eggplant should be tender to the bite but not mushy. Scrape into the bowl with the onion and zuke. Crumble the thyme into the bowl and season the vegetables to taste with salt and pepper, remembering that the eggplant has been salted already. Let cool to tepid. The shells and vegetable mix can be prepared up to several hours before baking the quiches and held at room temperature.
5. When ready to bake the quiches, preheat the oven or reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
6. Make the custard: Beat the cream, eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, the nutmeg, and pepper to taste together until smooth. Scatter a thin, even layer of cheese over the bottoms of both prebaked shells. Divide the vegetable mix between the 2 shells, spreading it evenly over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. Put the quiches on a baking sheet large enough to hold them both comfortably and pour the custard into the shells. Decorate the tops with the tomato halves, cut side up. Bake until the edges of the custard are set and the center is only slightly jiggly, about 45 minutes.
7. Let the quiches cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. The quiches can be made the day before and refrigerated. Rewarm in a 300°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Note: To prebake the pie shells, preheat the oven to 425°F. Poke the bottoms of the shells all over with a fork. Line the shells with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill halfway with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. Bake the shells for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F if you are baking the quiches right away; if not, turn the oven off.
© 2010 Daisy Martinez
—Reprinted with permission from Daisy's Holiday Cooking: Delicious Latin Recipes for Effortless Entertaining, by Daisy Martinez, with Chris Styler (Simon & Schuster)
I love pisto Manchego too but I am afraid it does not have eggplant in it. Originally and of course before the discovery of America it didn’t even have peppers nor tomato, I am also sorry to say but it was a dish that originated in Spain and not in France, although most Mediterranean countries have similar dishes in their cuisine. And also important the original pisto Manchego has no spices in it nor cream, Spanish cuisine unlike most people believe doesn’t use many spices in it, specially such old recipes as this one, of course you can add anything you want but it wont be the real McCoy!
Cooks & Books & Recipes replied: — September 4th, 2014 @ 12:42 pm
Thanks for adding some additional info, Sandra. I’ve seen other recipes that use eggplant (https://suite.io/melissa-parks/1hy82z3) and ones that don’t (http://www.food.com/recipe/tomato-and-vegetable-mix-pisto-manchego-370061), as you note. Daisy Martinez agrees that it originated in Spain; hence it’s nickname of “Spanish ratatouille.”