Possibly All My Cheese and Pancetta Pie

If one chooses to increase her atherosclerosis risk factors during the traditional Superbowl binge, let it not be with godawful Doritos and tired-old chip dips. Saturated fat, as a “sometimes food,” should be done right. For this year’s Game Day, I made a list of all of my favorite foods that contain shameful amounts of saturated fat: butter, pancetta, Gouda, Parmesan cheese, half and half, eggs, love—and with mischief and delight mixed them all into a quiche-like slurry. If we’re going for the heart attack ticket-to-heaven—let’s go first class, shall we?

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Possibly All My Cheese and Pancetta Pie

Loosely based on Cook’s Country recipe Feb/March 2013

1 tbsp butter to grease the dish

3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

4 oz sliced Pancetta, cooked until just brown

4 scallions, minced

4 oz Vincent Aged Gouda from Frieslandcampina, Holland, grated

4-5 oz combo of grated Parmegiano Reggiano, Asiago, and some other mystery fancy cheese I could not identify

½ cup flour

¾ tsp baking powder

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

1 cup half and half

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1. Adjust oven rack to a low position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch pie plate with butter, then coat plate evenly with Parmesan cheese.

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2. Combine all the cheeses, ham, and scallions. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pie plate.

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Combine flour, baking powder, pepper, and salt in the now-empty bowl. Whisk in eggs, half and half, mustard, and nutmeg until smooth. Slowly pour batter over the ham and cheese mixture in the pie dish.

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3. Bake until pie is a light golden color and filling is set, 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing in.

The original recipe I found called for 8 oz Gruyere, which I’m sure would be delicious as well, but being a grad student, 15-dollars-worth of cheese effectively “totals” the economy of cooking at home. So instead I went to the fridge and shredded all the spare nubs of the fanciest cheeses I already had—a gouda, parmegiano, asiago, and some curious white mystery cheese—possibly Pecorino Romano. All this to say, this quiche or strata-like pie would probably taste amazing with any kind of cheese. Also, the original recipe called for deli ham with extra butter, which I condensed into a solitary addition of pancetta. Marvelous. Love that you don’t have to bother with making a crust, nor with Bisquick.

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Here’s looking forward to some Hail Marys and high fives this afternoon. Go Seahawks. Izzy is a little disappointed because she thought the Super Bowl referred to her food dish, and a super-sized meal today. No, Izzy. Just a Seahawks hat and scarf—and whatever pieces of pancetta fall on the floor.

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