Quiche aux Poireaux et Champignons, a vegetarian recipe from the South of France is tasty, yet easy to prepare. A good quality ready-made shortcrust pastry will considerably shorten the preparation time.
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
Time: 60 minutes using ready-made shortcrust pastry
Ingredients:
- 1 savory shortcrust pastry for a 10 inch (24 cm) tart pan with removable bottom, for ingredients click here
- 1 3/4 lbs (800 g) leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups (120 g) mushrooms, quartered
- 6 slices of cooked ham, slivered (optional)
- 1/2 cup (55 g) grated Swiss cheese
- 4 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup (240 ml) crème fraîche or sour cream
- 4 whole eggs
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
If you prepare your own savory shortcrust pastry let it rest in the fridge for a while – you find the recipe here. I normally use ready made shortcrust pastry from Publix or Trader Joe’s.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Add leeks, 1 tablespoon of water and salt to the saucepan. Cook leeks, until they are limp, about 8-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer leeks to a mixing bowl.
Return saucepan to heat. Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of oil. Sauté mushrooms until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove mushrooms from the saucepan and add them to the leeks. Add slivered ham, cheese, parsley to the leeks-mushroom mix. Toss to combine and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, crème fraîche, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
Roll out the pastry onto the bottom and sides of a 10 inch (25 cm) pie pan with removable bottom. Cut off excessive pastry hanging over the sides. Spread leek mixture over the pastry shell. Pour egg custard mix over the leeks. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until set and lightly golden. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting it into wedges.
