Sausage, Leek, and Spinach Quiche

A few weeks ago I tried a quiche recipe from a vegetarian cookbook I purchased.  I wasn’t impressed by the recipe – it was fairly bland and did not seem to have the right pastry to filling ratio.  I wasn’t ready to give up on quiche altogether, though.

So, I set out on a mission to develop my own more flavorful quiche recipe. Mine is not a vegetarian recipe – I used a little bit of fresh pork sausage from the local farmer’s market.  I also played around with the vegetables to give it some extra color and flavor.  This quiche is hearty enough to be served for dinner (we had it for dinner just the other night!), but it would also be great for breakfast or brunch.

Pastry Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-4 tablespoons cold water

Pastry Crust Directions:

Combine the flour, butter, and salt by hand, mixing with fingers, until the mixture is crumbly.  Add the cold water, one tablespoon at a time, working it into the dough after each addition. Use enough water to moisten the flour mixture and form a stiff dough. Roll the dough into a ball, and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 415°F.  Roll the dough into a large circle on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough in a 9 inch pie plate, and crimp the edges.  Use a fork to poke holes in the dough lining the bottom of the plate to keep the crust from bubbling up while baking.  Bake the crust for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 2 leeks, sliced and cleaned (clean the leaks in a large bowl of water after slicing to remove all of the sand and grit)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup light cream

Filling Directions:

Brown the sausage in a small fry pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, pepper, and garlic, and saute for a few minutes until tender. Add the spinach to the pan and wilt into the sausage mixture.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

While the sausage mixture cools, beat the eggs in a small bowl. Beat in the milk and cream until all three ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth.

Putting It Together:

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Spread the sausage mixture in the bottom of the prepared pastry crust.  Pour the egg mixture into the crust, evenly covering the sausage mixture (pictured on the left).

Bake for 50 minutes, until the eggs are set and the top is golden (pictured on the right).  Allow to cool slightly before slicing.