Recipe: Asparagus Pancetta Quiche

I love quiche because it's quick and easy and because you can throw just about anything into it.  A couple of Easter's ago I made an Asparagus and Canadian Bacon Quiche and it was a delicious hit at the party.  Of course, when I was making my quiche last week, I forgot all about that recipe, so I made a new recipe using ingredients that I had in my kitchen (which were considerably different than the ingredients I'd had that Easter.  Rather than ricotta I used pecorino and stracchino cheese, a rich creamy spreadable cheese. It has a lovely flavor and tang and really kicked up the flavor of my quiche. I also used pancetta (the Italian equivalent but less fatty, cubed version of bacon) instead of Canadian bacon (also healthier than regular bacon).  I like pancetta because it isn't overly salty but still rich in flavor. I also made a few other changes, like the crust and sauteing the asparagus instead of boiling it.
I love making quiche on lazy Sundays. It's definitely a great use of time!

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (I used a pre-made non frozen crust, but anything will do. You can even make your own!)
1 tbs olive oil
2 small shallots
150 g pancetta
1 bunch of asparagus
4 eggs
200 g stracchino
100 g soft pecorino, in small pieces

what everything should look like sauteed

red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Lay your pie crust in an oven proof pan.  If you're using a frozen crust, just remove it from the freezer.

mixing it all together

Dice up your shallots.  Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and when the oil is hot add in your pancetta (or if you prefer, bacon or Canadian bacon, in which case just skip the oil).  When the pancetta is sizzling add in the shallots.  Sweat the shallots over a low flame while you clean and then cut your asparagus into inch long pieces. Keep an eye on your pan and stir periodically. When the shallots become transparent and the pancetta has gotten some color, toss in the asparagus. I used really thin asparagus so I only sauteed it for a minute or so before removing everything from the heat. They cooked the rest of the way in the oven.

Gorgeous before baking

 If you are cooking with thicker asparagus, saute them for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are just about fork tender.
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes and in a separate bowl whisk the eggs, stracchino, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together.  Do not use a lot of salt because the pancetta is already
salty enough.  If you're using bacon, don't use any salt at all. Carefully fold in the sauteed asparagus mixture and pecorino into the egg mixture.

When the asparagus is well coated with egg, pour evenly into the pie crust and fold the edge of the crust over onto itself.

Beautiful

Bake for about 45 minutes. The quiche is done when the crust is golden brown and when the egg
has risen and set all the way.