Onion quiche with a brown rice crust (and green eggs!)

I have a love-hate relationship with raw onions. Thinly sliced onions give sandwiches the extra kick that they sometimes need or provide a great crunch for a salad, but I'm extremely sensitive to their sulfurous compounds. Sometimes I end up with teary eyes for a few hours if I cut more than one or two of them. Cooked onions, on the other hand, are always my friend. Just about everything I make starts with onions, and I usually use more than is called for in a recipe. The sweetness that develops as onions cook is like none other. In fact, one of my favorite pizzas includes caramelized onions as a main ingredient, and I often roast onion wedges and eat them as a snack. That's half of the story.

The other half involves green eggs. No, I haven't been reading a Dr. Seuss book. I noticed a sign for green eggs on the first day of the farmers' market this year. I had plenty of eggs, so I didn't buy any, but they obviously stuck in my mind. Then Amy from Runs with Spatula told me that they had been recommended to her by Annie from Forest Street Kitchen. Amy made a green eggs and ham omelet with her eggs, and said that they seemed richer than other eggs. I had to give these a shot! I finally used up all of my other eggs, bought some green eggs one Saturday, and searched around for something to make that would highlight the flavor of the eggs (I didn't want to hide them in a complicated dish, after all!). Enter Mark Bittman. While flipping through this month's cookbook of the month, I was intrigued by the idea of making a quiche. I don't know that I've ever made one, which is odd considering that I actually own a quiche pan. Thus the onion quiche was conceived.

I had a hard time getting a good picture, but they definitely have a green tint to them

(you might have to trust me on this one)

And I guess the final tidbit to this story is that I was too lazy to make a traditional crust. I had already made bread that morning and was planning to make roti for dinner (recipe to come!). The thought of kneading a third dough and getting even more flour all over my kitchen floor was not appealing. But this brown rice crust from Closet Cooking sounded delicious (perhaps even better than a traditional crust!) and easy.

Onion quiche with a brown rice crust (adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" and Closet Cooking)

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 egg

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp olive oil

6 cups thinly sliced onions

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme

6 eggs (ideally green!)

2 cups milk

Combine rice, 1 egg, and parmesan in a small bowl, and press the mixture in the bottom and sides of a quiche pan or deep pie pan. Bake at 450 for 5 min. While crust is baking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add onions, salt, and pepper, and let cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and golden brown (about 20 min). Stir thyme into onions. Whisk eggs and milk together, and stir in the onions. Pour this mixture into the crust and bake at 325 for 40-50 min (until the eggs are set in the middle). Serves 6.

This was delicious. I think I know what Amy means about the eggs being richer. They had a great flavor that was perfect for this type of dish. And this was another great dish for onions. Their intense sweetness, along with the thyme, was a perfect contrast to the bold egg flavor. And don't forget about the crust! It was slightly crunchy, but fit right in with the overall feel of the quiche. This was a great overall concoction, and I'm glad that I was too lazy to mess with more dough.

I found one of my new favorite uses of onions, so it seems that I

should submit this to Weekend Herb Blogging, a weekly food blogging event that was started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, and is now organized by Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. This week I'm hosting, and I encourage you all to participate. See the rules for more details, and make sure to send me your information by Sunday at 5 pm Eastern time.