What’s not to love about spring vegetables!  Everyone welcomes asparagus, spinach, and pencil-thin spring onions for salads, soups and side dishes, but I love them in cheese-filled tarts and quiche. Make your own crust, use refrigerated or frozen pie crusts, prepared puff pastry, or make one with no crust at all. All you need to complete your meal is a crisp salad, a great loaf of bread, and an equally great bottle of wine. Cheers!

GOAT CHEESE AND VEGETABLE QUICHE

SERVES 6 TO 8

This quiche is packed with fresh vegetables and herbs and is perfect baked without a crust.

4 tablespoons olive oil

10 ounces white mushrooms, chopped

5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

2 scallions, sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 large eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Salt

Ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, thyme and flat-leaf parsley

Steps:

     1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-inch glass pie dish.

     2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoon oil. Cook mushrooms for 2 to 5 minutes, or until soft but not browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.

     3. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to skillet. Add spinach, scallions, zucchini and tomatoes; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir into mushrooms. Arrange vegetables in prepared pie dish.

     4. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, half-and-half and mustard; stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper; stir in herbs. Spoon over vegetables. Put quiche in center of a baking sheet.

     5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to touch. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices.

Margaret M. Johnson is the author of 12 cookbooks, most recently “Teatime in Ireland.” For more information on her work, or to order her cookbook, visit irishcook.com.