The edge of the universe is expanding at the speed of light.  And here I am sometimes thinking that things are moving too fast for me.  Time distortions created by black holes are seen differently from inside and outside of the black hole.  Your experience of a situation is not always the same as someone else's.

I finally finished my book on The Black Hole War.  Thank God.  That's not to say it wasn't interesting, just intellectually demanding.  I was holding my own up until the end when the string theory started.  Perhaps it's analogous to thinking I'm doing well with my running until I go try to workout with the cross country team.  Reality check.

I enjoyed the 5 and 0 start to the softball season and sunshine down in Tempe this past weekend.  I also had time to get re-acquainted with my little friend Vitamin D.  Unfortunately, the only vegan source of Vitamin D is UV-irradiated mushrooms and yeast.  Yummy.  However, dietary sources (fortified milk and cereal, fatty fish, eggs, etc) are only a very small part of your body's Vitamin D supply.  The Seattle sunshine needs to provide the vast majority through 10-15 minutes of exposure on your arms and legs twice a week.

This quiche contains milk and eggs to help bring in some Vitamin D as well as calcium.  By using phyllo dough for the crust, you can enjoy the filling without a large amount of crust.  I had never worked with phyllo dough before and was somewhat surprised that it resembles sheets of paper and is quite finicky.  One note about phyllo dough:  This is found in the freezer section of the grocery store.  Read the package for defrosting instructions far in advance from when you plan to start cooking your quiche as defrosting can take at least 2 hours.  You will likely also have leftover blue cheese, phyllo dough and sage after making this recipe, so it may be a good idea to have other uses planned for these ingredients so they do not go to waste, or just double this recipe.

Roasted Butternut Squash Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage

Adapted from Closetcooking.com

Ingredients

·         ¼ cup + 2 tbsp olive oil, divided

·         2 cups onions, sliced (about 2 medium)

·         Water, as needed

·         2 cups butternut squash (probably less than 1 small squash), peeled and cut into bite size pieces

·         Salt and Pepper to taste

·         8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions

·         4 eggs, lightly beaten

·         1 cup half and half (or ½ cup milk and ½ cup heavy cream, or 1 cup heavy cream)

·         2 ounces gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled

·         1 tbsp sage, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan over medium heat.

Add the sliced onions and sauté until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Drop the heat to a little below medium, add ¼ cup of water, cover and cook until the onions turn a deep golden brown, about 50 minutes.  During this time, you will need to stir the mixture every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, and then every 5 minutes until the time is completed (adding extra water if necessary).

While the onions are cooking, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the squash on top of it.  Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Place pan in preheated oven (middle rack) and cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes.  Set aside.  Increase the oven temperature to 375F.

Prepare the crust by greasing a 9-inch pie pan or spring form pan (pour a little olive oil on a paper towel and wipe down inside of pan), and then brushing a sheet of phyllo dough with olive oil.  Place the sheet in the pan with the edges hanging over the pan.  Repeat with the remaining sheets of dough, overlapping as you go to cover the entire pan.  Some of your sheets are likely to rip.  This is okay as long as they are layered.  If you will have extra sheets, discard the ripped ones. 

When the onions are done cooking, place them in a large bowl and mix with the squash, eggs, milk, gorgonzola, and sage.  Pour into the crust. 

Bake on the middle rack until golden and set in the center, about 25-45 minutes.