Sausage and Artichoke Quiche
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Cooking time: 70 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for "menu" instructions |
I don't make pie crusts but we like quiches and tarts. The solution is to make the crust with rice, or even pasta. A brown rice crust makes a much healthier alternative to a buttery short crust pastry... And, with the slightly nutty flavor, we like it better.
Sausage & Artichoke Quiche Time: 80 minutes
The variations on quiche or almost infinite. The sausage adds a lot of flavor - use any sausage you like, hot or sweet, squeezing it out of the casing to brown. Pre-cooking the rice makes it all come together quickly.
2/3 cup brown rice
1 1/3 cup chicken stock Or 2 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded cheese (4 oz, 125 gr)
3 eggs
1 medium onion
1/2 pepper (left from Tuesday)
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
8 oz (250 gr) sausage meat - turkey or pork, or equivalent in sausages
1 14 oz can (400 gr jar) artichoke hearts, well-drained
1 cup milk
The crust: Cook brown rice in stock according to package directions. Can be done ahead or even the night before. Lightly oil a 9" (22 cm) pie or quiche plate. Lightly whisk 1 egg. Add 1/4 cup of the cheese and the cooked rice. Mix well. Pat into the quiche plate, working it up the sides as best you can. Bake in 375F (185C) oven for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
The filling: Chop onion, pepper and mince garlic. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Add sausage and brown, breaking it up. If you are using whole sausages, either slice thinly or remove meat from casing. Add herbs. Drain artichokes and slice in half. When meat is done spread mixture evenly over rice. Arrange artichokes on top of meat. Sprinkle with cheese. Whisk remaining 2 eggs well. Add milk and whisk to combine. Pour over all and bake for 1 hour. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Note: I put the quiche/pie plate on a pizza pan before pouring the egg/milk over. Makes it easier to get into the oven and catches any drips and spills - saving oven clean-up.
Second note: My sausage meat is always quite dry. I have to add oil to brown it and there is no extra fat at the end of cooking. If yours puts off a lot of fat, drain it before putting in the quiche.
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Cooking schedule: Time: 10 - 20 minutes prep, 60 minutes baking |
Spread sausage/onion over rice |
Cooking for Two? Or more?
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