Improvisation: Chard and Bacon Quiche

I know kale is the "it" green of the moment. (Aside: How has our culture gotten to the point of having "it" vegetables? Have we nothing of greater moment to discuss? And how lame am I for knowing them? Also, the UN has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa - pass it on.)

Anyway, back to kale, which is a fine green, but I have a weakness for chard. I love the color.  It's easy to cook with and it's a lot easier to find than kale, at least where I shop. So when I saw chard on sale last week, I grabbed a big bunch without even thinking about recipes.

That's why I found myself this Monday, looking at a fridge full of groceries, but with no actual plan for any of them. Then it dawned on me: Quiche! everything goes with eggs. So this is my "what do I do with all of this food" improvisation quiche.

Chard and Bacon Quiche

Serves 4-6

• two strips of bacon
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup of parmesan
• pepper
• pie crust (pre-made or favorite recipe)
• 1 bunch chard

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Wash, trim and chop the chard. Don't make the pieces too small, you are going to be cooking it down.

3. Put a large pan on and cook the bacon until crisp. Put the bacon to one side, and drain all but one tablespoon of the rendered fat from the pan.

4. Wilt the chard in the bacon fat, so that it loses most of its volume but is still bright green. Take off the heat and put to one side.

5. Put your crust into the pie plate. Put in the wilted chard and top with the crumbled bacon.

6. Crack your eggs and wisk them together with the parmesan and yogurt. Pepper to taste (I like 1/4 teaspoon). You shouldn't need salt, between the cheese and the bacon, there should be salt enough.

7. Pour the egg mixture over the chard and bacon, and slide into the oven for 30-45 minutes.

Yummy!

Notes:

• The measurements for the parmesan and yogurt are estimates, because I was "in the zone" and cooking by feel. You may need to adjust them to your own tastes.
• I used parmesan because that is what I had on hand. Gruyere is more traditional in a quiche. If you decided to go that route, put it on top of the chard instead of mixing it in to the eggs.