St. Matthias Quiche

History

Many liturgical traditions—while rooted in the Christian calendar—also take their cues from the changing seasons. Think of St. Lucia whose name means “light” and whose feast day falls on one of the darkest days of the year. For centuries Christians have donned crowns of flaming candles and sung about the light of Christ as a contrast to seasonal (and spiritual) darkness.

Today’s tradition also takes its cue from the way the Church’s calendar lines up with the changing seasons. St. Matthias’ Day falls on the 24^th of February, and in some places it has traditionally coincided with the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Now, perhaps you yourself own chickens or at least know a little something about them. If you do, you’ll know that they require a certain amount of sunlight to produce eggs. That means that as spring approaches and the days grow longer, you will notice your chickens begin to lay eggs again (or at least more than they were in winter).

The historical connection between St. Matthias, chickens, and the beginning of spring is captured in the traditional German saying, “Wenn der Matthias kommt herbei, legt das Huhn das erste Ei.” In English, that translates to, “When St. Matthias’ Day arrives, the hen lays the first egg.” St. Matthias’ Day, then, is a perfect opportunity to give thanks for both the twelfth apostle and the new life that emerges in the coming season.

In honor of St. Matthias’ long-standing relationship with a newfound abundance of eggs, we present you with a St. Matthias’ Day Quiche!

St. Matthias Quiche

Besides its connection with St. Matthias, this egg dish is a handy way to use up a lot of eggs at once if you find yourself with an overabundance. Even if you don’t own chickens yourself, eggs are still a very affordable food to purchase and throw together to make a delightful and comforting meal in honor of St. Matthias.

Besides being affordable, quiche is also versatile. Below we share one of our favorite combinations, but the quiche possibilities are endless (Mexican, cheeseburger, salmon, or even simple cheese quiche!), and any of them can help you use up produce that’s reaching expiration.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1 ⅓ cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick chilled butter

¼ – ½ ice-cold water

Filling

1 pound ground breakfast sausage

1 onion, diced

peppers of choice, diced

1 cup whole milk or cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

10 large eggs

½ cup shredded cheese

Instructions

1. To make the pie crust, whisk together the flour and salt and then cut in the butter. Then pour in the water ¼ cup at a time until the dough just comes together. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
2. For the filling, begin by browning the sausage. Then add in the diced onion and peppers of choice (we used 6 sweet peppers) and sauté until tender. 
3. Transfer the cooked meat and vegetables into a large bowl and allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
4. Meanwhile, roll out the pie crust on a floured surface and transfer into a greased, 9″ pie pan. Prick the dough on the bottom of the pan with a fork and place back in the fridge.
5. To the cooled filling mixture add the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. Pour into the crust and bake until set (about 40 minutes). Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then enjoy!