Delicious Recipe: Zucchini and Ham Quiche

Since Patsy Brumfield, another Ole Miss journalism grad, picked up on my squash casserole and wrote some kind words on Facebook and porchscene.com, I have another squash recipe to share.
My political friend Ron has a garden in a nearby town. When he has an abundance of fresh vegetables, he stops by my house, puts a bag of veggies on my doorknob, rings the bell and walks back to his car.
If I’m home, I run to the door and try to catch him before he drives away so I can thank him. Otherwise, I often check my front door and if I have a “gift bag,” I call to express my appreciation.
Not long ago, Ron dropped off an eggplant, cherry tomatoes, a cucumber and a big striped zucchini so I immediately searched for recipes. Since I had recently purchased a biography of Craig Claiborne at Square Books in Oxford, I looked in my New York Times cookbook collection. There I found a recipe for a zucchini and ham quiche in Craig Claiborne’s The New New York Times Cookbook that he had written with Pierre Franey.
As I explained to my eye doctor, when she noted the book I was reading (Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance by Thomas McNamee), I’m an Ole Miss graduate, have family and friends in Mississippi, and Claiborne is someone I admired and appreciated his writing. In fact, I once had the pleasure of meeting him at a press breakfast at a Book and Cook event years ago in Philadelphia, Pa.
Back to the quiche recipe that I made one night. Ken and I ate about half the quiche for dinner. The next day I shared the leftovers with friends, Pat, June and Bob. We all thought the quiche was delicious. Here’s my version.
Zucchini and Ham Quiche

Store-bought piecrust
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove, minced
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 cup sliced boiled ham
4 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place dried beans or other weights in bottom of piecrust so the bottom won’t puff up; bake for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onion and garlic; sauté until wilted.
Add the zucchini along with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring gently for about 10 minutes, but do not over cook.
Add ham and stir to blend. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs in a large mixing bowl.
Add half and half and mix well.
Add zucchini and ham mixture to the egg mixture; pour into piecrust.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place the quiche on a baking sheet.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the quiche is relatively firm.
Makes six to eight servings.
Serve with a mixed green salad and sliced tomatoes.
NOTE: The original recipe called for ¾ cup milk and ½ cup heavy cream. I thought that would be too much liquid and, besides, I only had half and half in the refrigerator.
Sidna Brower Mitchell can be reached via email at sbmcooks@aol.com. Click Here for more of Sidna’s recipes.