If there's one thing that my menfolk are guaranteed to eat, it's a slice of quiche. As I have now conquered my (stupid, as it turns out) tendency towards a soggy bottom (don't bake the tin on a baking tray - the two layers prevent the pastry from cooking properly. So simple, but it took me years to work it out!) making quiche has become a regular occurrence in our house.
The good thing about quiche is that there are so many different variations of filling. Yes, there's the good old bacon & cheese that always gets the thumbs up, but really you can put just about anything into a quiche so long as it's not wet, or will cook wetly. (Courgette, I'm looking at you here).
In this instance, I was looking for something that would provide a man-pleasing filling. Now my hubby has always loved Lincolnshire sausages, whereas I have been rather less than complimentary about them. It's not as though I actively dislike them, it's just that there are other types of sausage that I find more appealing. Stop giggling at the back! I did think, though, that their herby character would go nicely in a quiche and tomato seemed a natural bedfellow for them. Of course, it just isn't quiche if it doesn't have some cheese in and/or on it, so some mature cheddar was a given. Now our son has a serious dislike of cooked tomato (he picks the tomato off the top of his quiche, strange child), which is where the sun dried tomato comes in. Perfect.
The filling made up to be a good, deep fill with lots of character and substance, just what I was after. You could certainly feed a crowd with this one, as mine very nicely cut into six decent sized portions, served with salad and chips for the menfolk. I now have half a quiche (three portions) which should keep the wolf from the door for us all at lunchtime tomorrow, as well.
Oh and incidentally, as a means of making six sausages go adequately around three people, you can't beat it!
LINCOLNSHIRE SAUSAGE & SUN DRIED TOMATO QUICHE (serves 6)
Ingredients :
400g Lincolnshire sausages, removed from their skins
approx. 300g shortcrust pastry (sufficient for an 8" sandwich or flan dish, approx. 1" deep)
3 extra large eggs
150ml soured cream
a half tsp of ground black pepper
a quarter tsp of sea salt
70g mature cheddar cheese, grated
6 pieces of sun-dried tomato (I used the ones in oil), sliced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 medium tomato, sliced finely into 5 slices.
Method :
Your first job is to cook the sausages. Pre-heat your oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas 4. Remove the sausage skins and pinch off small pieces of sausage meat, forming them into balls. 1 sausage will make around 5 balls. Place onto a foil-lined tray and give them a light coat of cooking spray. Place into the middle of your oven for around 20 minutes until cooked through and just beginning to brown. Once cooked, set aside to cool a little.
Next, you need to part-bake the pastry case. If you are using pre-rolled pastry, keep it on the baking paper and roll it out a little bit thinner than it arrives. Cut a piece that is significantly bigger than the baking dish or tin you will be using. Keeping the pastry on the baking paper, gently sink it into the tin making sure there are no bubbles under the pastry and it is pressed gently into the corners. Carefully remove the baking paper and trim off the majority of the excess with a sharp knife, but leave a decent overhang to cope with any shrinkage.
Replace the baking paper and lightly smooth it across the base. Pour in your baking beans in an even layer and place the tin centrally into the oven for 20 minutes. You can use this time to make the filling.
Break each of the eggs into a cup and pour them into a large bowl. Doing this ensures that if one of your eggs is off or even slightly dodgy, you don't lose the lot! Add the soured cream and whisk together. Next, add the black pepper, sea salt, two thirds of the grated cheese and the parsley and stir until everything is combined.
Remove the pastry case from the oven and gently lift out the baking beans by holding the greaseproof paper. Set the baking beans aside to cool down.
Tip the sausage balls into the pastry case and sprinkle over the pieces of sun dried tomato. Pour in the egg/cream mixture and sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese. Add the five tomato slices in an attractive pattern.
Gently place the quiche into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling has risen, turned golden and feels fairly firm when pressed in the middle.
Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. You can now trim back the overhanging spare pastry and if you are using a loose bottomed tin, remove the quiche from the tin and place it back onto the cooling rack. Serve whilst still a little warm or at room temperature, with a crunchy garden salad.
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This recipe, which came from my fevered imagination whilst I was craving stuffed peppers one day, succeeded in surprising even myself. Oh yes, in a positive way, of course! You wouldn't be seeing it if the reverse was true as I very much keep my failures to myself. Well, apart from sharing the very worst of them on my Facebook page, where it's worth it for the laugh.
Anyway, these 'ere stuffed red pointy peppers are just totally lush. The tasty turkey mince filling (you could use pork mince, if turkey isn't your thing) is flavoured with Italian style influences - tomato and sun dried tomato pesto predominate - yet they have a Mexican touch with the spicy Mexicana cheese that tops each pepper. The gorgeously soft, sweet, fruity flavour of the peppers themselves just brings everything together in a deliciously amalgamated whole.
I recommend serving the peppers either with something creamily rich like a mushroom risotto (which is my choice), or a fresh crunchy mixed salad with a creamy dressing. I think either would work as well as the other.
Super-simple to make, the bit that takes the longest time is the making of the filling. However if you're going to be pushed for time then that can easily be made ahead and even frozen (but defrost before use), thus making the preparation a simple matter of filling the peppers and putting them in the oven. From getting out the ingredients to sitting down to eat took around 90 minutes, but then I'm incredibly slow. However, it gives you an idea of the time required.
Go! Fry! Stuff! Bake! Enjoy! (A glass of wine wouldn't go amiss, either).
TASTY TURKEY STUFFED ROMANO PEPPERS (serves 2)
Ingredients :
2 long red pointed Romano peppers, cut into two lengthways and de-seeded
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 red onion, diced finely
1 garlic clove, diced finely
sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
300g minced lean turkey
1 vine ripened medium tomato, diced
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tsp tomato puree
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
half a tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto
1 tsp reduced salt Knorr chicken stock powder
100ml warm water
1 tbsp torn fresh basil leaves
60g sliced Mexicana cheese, or grated mature cheddar.
Method :
Pre-heat your oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas 4.
Before beginning to cook the filling, deal with the two peppers and cut them in half lengthways, remove the pith and seeds but leave the stem attached. Place them into a suitably sized baking dish.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan and add the onion & garlic. Fry until the onion is softened and beginning to take on colour. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a couple of pinches of black pepper.
Push the onion & garlic across to one side of the pan and add the turkey mince. Break up the mince and fry until there is no pink colour left. Mix the onions & garlic in and continue to fry.
Add the diced and quartered tomatoes, frying until the pieces have softened and are beginning to dissolve into the mix. Add the tomato puree, tomato ketchup, dried oregano, chopped parsley, pesto, chicken stock powder and water. Stir gently to combine and cook on until everything is mixed well together and the liquid has reduced significantly. You are after a fairly dry mix, so that the mince doesn't just flow out of the peppers! Once you are happy with the consistency, add the torn basil leaves and stir through. Taste for seasoning and adjust both salt & pepper to taste.
Divide the mince mixture between the four pepper halves and either place the Mexicana cheese slices over the mince, or sprinkle the cheddar over the top of each pepper.
Place the baking dish into the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Serve with some wild mushroom risotto, or alternatively a fresh mixed salad.
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