Spinach, Mushroom and Sausage Quiche

This weekend was a very lazy one. I didn’t step out of the house for two whole days and was hooked in front of my TV watching a marathon of desperate housewives season 1 (yes I am addicted now). I just didn’t feel like cooking anything (as usual he he he) but had to listen to the pitiful growls emerging from the recesses of my stomach. Not wanting to make any rice or roti I decided to make a quiche. Never having made one before, I started searching for a recipe online and came across one on Annies Eats. Of course I don’t eat bacon so I had to improvise on the ingredients. The best part of making a quiche is that you can throw in anything as long as the flavors meld together. It is like eating a giant omelette (yum!) and the crust is perfect omitting the need for bread. My crust was a little under baked so next time I know to fully bake it before adding the filling.

You can add whatever vegetables you like as long as you sauté them before hand. This was very filling and a great dish to make any time of the day. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

P.S - My picky eater at home also liked it!!!

Recipe Source – Adapted from Annies Eats and Williams Sonoma

Ingredients

For The Crust

1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 Tsp Salt

8 Tbsp Cold Unsalted Butter (Cut Into Small Pieces)

3 Tbsp Very Cold Water

For The Filling

3 Eggs (Beaten)

1 1/2 Cups Milk

1 Cup Chicken Sausage (Sliced)

1 Medium Onion (Chopped)

1 Cup Mushrooms (Sliced)

1 Cup Spinach (Chopped)

1/4 Cup Mixed Vegetables (Carrot, Beans and Peas)

1/2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (Shredded)

1 Tsp Flour
1Tsp Red Chili Powder

1 Tsp Pepper

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/4 Cup Coriander leaves (Chopped)

2 Tbsp Oil

To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Lightly flour the work surface, and then flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough a 9-inch pie plate. Trim most of the excess from the edges and use your fingers to create a fluted edge

Preheat the oven to 230 degrees C (450 degrees F). Line the pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights (I don’t have pie weights so I used uncooked rice). Bake for 5 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. (My crust was not fully baked at this point so next time I will bake it for longer). Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 165 degrees C (325 degrees F).

To make the quiche filling, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions, sausage, mushrooms, spinach and mixed vegetables one by one. Add all these to the egg mixture. Add the salt, chili powder and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. In a separate bowl, toss the cheese and flour together. Add the cheese to the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle the coriander on top. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust and bake 35-40 minutes or until the filling is almost completely set but slightly jiggly in the center. Let the quiche rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Happy Eating!!