How to make a lovely leek and sausage quiche

It is time for quiche to make a comeback; after all, what’s better than homemade buttery pastry with a flavour-packed, melt-in-your-mouth filling? This one is a little more effort, so it’s ideal if you’re in a baking mood.

Serves: 8

Prep time: 20 minutes plus chilling

Cook time: 1 hour

You will need a 23cm loose-bottomed flan/tart tin and baking beans/rice.

1. For the pastry, put the flour and butter into a food processor, along with a big pinch of salt. Blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk and water, and pulse again until just coming together into a dough.

2. Tip out on to a floured surface and roll out to a thickness of roughly 5mm. Use the pastry to line a loose-bottomed 23cm flan/tart tin. Prick the base with a fork, then put into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C/gas 5. Put a flat baking tray into the oven to heat up.

4. Meanwhile, squeeze the sausages from their skins straight into a large frying pan over a medium–high heat, breaking them into bite-sized pieces. Pour in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and fry for 5 minutes or so until crisp, then transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

5. Add the leek to the frying pan, along with the remaining 3 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, for 6–8 minutes until collapsed and softened, then add the thyme leaves. Stir, then tip into the same bowl as the sausages. Mix to combine and leave to cool.

6. Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper, then fill with baking beans or rice. Put on to the hot baking tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden and the edges are cooked. Carefully remove the paper and beans or rice, and bake for a further 5–10 minutes until the base of the pastry is dry and lightly golden.

7. While the pastry bakes, whisk together the milk, cream and eggs in a large jug. Season really well with salt and pepper, and grate in the nutmeg, if using.

8. Remove the baking tray with the pastry case on it from the oven. Spoon the leek and sausage mixture across the base, then pour over the egg and milk mixture and top with the cheese.

9. Carefully return to the oven (the baking tray will help you manoeuvre here). Bake for 20–25 minutes until the quiche has set around the edges and the centre still has a slight wobble. Leave to cool, then cut into slices to serve. This quiche will happily keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tip: If you don’t want to make your own pastry, use a 500g block of ready-made shortcrust instead, rolling it out to the same thickness and baking in the same way. To make it veggie, use meat-free chipolatas.

Extracted from HECK! Recipes You Can Swear By (Ebury Press, £18.99)