In the JNF kitchen: Simple farm-to-table quiche

Quiche a la Maayan Eilat Palti-Negev. 

This #RecipeOfTheWeek comes from Earth's Promise, a Jewish National Fund partner that promotes urban agriculture to support sustainable growth in Israel's Negev desert.

Maayan Eilat Palti-Negev, a 28-year-old who got her masters degree in social leadership at Ben-Gurion University, spent her school years living in the Gimel neighborhood adjacent to Earth's Promise. She watched the farm develop and thrive and soon became a regular customer. 

Maayan Eilat Palti- Negev, home chef. 

"I loved visiting the farm during community events and strolling often through the lively garden beds," she says. "Even more meaningful to me, however, was being able to come home with a delicious (and cheap!) vegetable basket to use in making some delicious recipes for my family."

Maayan shared this dish, which is based on the principle of simplicity and using what you have available at home and what can be bought from your local urban farm that same day. 

The dough is easy to prepare and delicious, and it mixes beautifully with greens and cheeses. Use any green in place of the Swiss chard and kale (such as spinach), and any cheese can replace the cream. The crust can be homemade as per the directions below, but any store-bought crust or alternative crust recipe would do.

More on Earth's Promise:
Farm-to-table events serve up a new kind of delicious in the Negev
Green dreams: Innovative urban farm in Negev wins environmental prize

Enjoy this #RecipeOfTheWeek, and if you make any of these recipes, be sure to send a photo of your creation to teddyherzl18@gmail.com or tweet it to @JNFUSA with the hashtag #JNFfoodie. We might share it! 

Ingredients

Crust

1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons oil
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more if necessary

Filling

1 bunch Swiss chard 
1 bunch kale 
1 egg
Half container of baking cream/cottage cheese/cheese of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg

Directions

To make the dough, mix the butter, oil, water, and salt in a heat-resistant container.

Place in a preheated oven until the mixture melts.

Very carefully, add the flour and fold it in until there is consistent dough. Add enough until you can easily handle it.

Allow the dough to cool and place a little on the side to repair patches while baking.

When the dough is cool, form flat into a pie pan and flatten with your fingers.

Place the dough into an oven heated to 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. If the dough cracks while baking, fill in holes with dough placed aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling by chopping the onion and frying it in a large pot until golden. 

Clean the Swiss chard and kale and separate the greens from the stalks. Chop the stalks of the greens. Shred the greens into thin pieces. 

When the onion is clear, add the stalks of the greens and then the greens. The mixture will shrink and become a flat layer in the pot. 

Transfer to a strainer to allow the liquid in the mixture to drain.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg, cheese/cream and spices. Add this mixture to the
greens and place onto the ready dough. 

Please the quiche in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.

Enjoy!