Tag Archives: sausages

Breakfasts n Brunches, Lockdown Recipes, Non-vegetarian Nonchalance, Sumptious Main Courses, Tea-time Titbits, Vegetarian Varieties

Sausage Potato Quiche

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The quiche has always been one of those fascinating kitchen creations that has an exotic appeal with a sprinkling of humility. I’m not sure whether it’s the many variations of the dish, its humble beginnings in Germany and France, its popularity after World War II, or the sheer simplicity of the dish. Just can’t seem to put my finger on it…

 

“Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche”— A book by Bruce Feirstein; a bestseller satirizing stereotypes of masculinity
The Fact:  Why is the Quiche Lorraine named so? It is believed that Quiche Lorraine is a recipe traditionally from Lorraine, France, near the border with Germany. In reality, the classic Quiche originated in Lothringen, Germany, a region initially under German rule; however, it was renamed Lorraine when it came under French control. In fact, the word ‘quiche’ is derived from the German word for cake, ‘kuchen.’
The Inspiration: My fascination with the “quiche” began when I was 16 and was introduced to a quaint little French café that opened up next to the college I went to. A little late, I agree, but quiche was just not a regular in my house. I still remember spotting the quiche as a cute little something with pretty, wavy edges, and beautiful, golden brown bacon bits sprinkled over it… I just had to give it a try! And with that introduction, began my love affair with quiches and tarts and pies and short crust pastries, and the eagerness to master them all. To me, this dish is really not so much about the taste; it’s about the beauty in its simplicity—the simplicity in the ingredients, the preparation and the result.

The Ingredients

This dish makes 6 – 8 servings.

Pie Crust or Short-Crust Pastry

  • 1¼ cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup butter (115 g or ¼ lb) frozen or chilled butter
  • ¼ to ½ cup (60 – 120 ml) cold water
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Quiche Filling

  • 3 large potatoes; grated, using a regular cheese grater

Grated potatoes

  • 2 cups of diced, chopped or minced sausages
  • 1 cup of chopped bacon

For a vegetarian/vegan quiche, simply drop the sausages and bacon or then, add any other ingredient you like.

Chopped bacon and sausages

  • ½ cup of diced bell peppers (Use a combination of yellow and red for a pretty quiche)
  • 1 cup diced mushrooms
  • About 15 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I love garlic and usually use a lot of it.)

Finely chopped garlic

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Salt to taste

Egg Custard

  • 3 large or 4 small eggs
  • 2/3rd cup milk
  • A pinch of salt for each egg

The Method

Making the Short-Crust Pastry or Quiche Crust

  • Click here to read up on how to make the perfect short-crust pastry, pie crust or quiche crust.

Pie Crust

Making the Filling

  • Heat a skillet or frying pan on medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to simmer lightly. Do not burn the butter or allow it to turn brown.
  • Toss in the finely chopped garlic and allow it to brown slightly.

Garlic in butter

  • Add the bacon and let it release some lovely flavor into the pan as the fat melts. Allow the bacon to brown.

Bacon and garlic in butter

  • If you haven’t already grated the potatoes, now’s the time to do it. Remember to sprinkle a few pinches of salt over the grated potatoes. Give it a toss. Keep it aside.
  • Add the mushrooms and let them cook in the butter and fat, while absorbing the flavours in the pan. Mushrooms also release a lot of water. Allow the water to dry up as much as possible.
  • Now, toss in the chopped/minced sausages and the shredded potatoes.
  • After about 2 minutes, add the diced bell peppers.
  • Sautee the ingredients for a few minutes, or until all the water has dried up.
  • Season the mixture with salt, freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkling of sugar. You could even add a soup cube for more taste, but if you do, remember to adjust the salt.
  • Take the skillet off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down a little

The quiche filling

For a vegetarian/vegan quiche, simply drop the sausages and bacon or then, add any other ingredient you like.

Making the egg custard

  • Whisk the eggs, the milk and the salt together. You’re done.

Assembling the quiche

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Take the ready pie base. Sprinkle the sausage filling into it. Pour the egg custard over the filling.

Pie crust with the filling

  • Sprinkle a little shredded cheese over it. This is completely optional 🙂
  • Bake for about 40-50 minutes, until the top is golden and the egg custard is set.

Serve hot and enjoy! You can refrigerate leftovers for later as well.

Bon appétit!

A piece of quiche

 

Lockdown Recipes, Non-vegetarian Nonchalance, The Kitchen Diary

No Bratwurst, No Switzerland

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There cannot be a sausage tastier than this … not until another sausage proves me wrong!

 

“Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” – Otto von Bismarck
The Fact: In 320 AD, because of their association with pagan festivals, Roman Emperor Constantinus I and the Catholic Church made sausage eating a sin and their consumption was banned! This led to sausages going underground until the ban was lifted.
The Journey:The title’s an exaggeration, of course! Switzerland’s famous for its wine, cheese, fondue, raclette, rösti, chocolate and certainly, the Alps, but the one thing I couldn’t dream of leaving Switzerland without was a bagful of vacuum-packed Bratwurst sausages that I’d handpicked from the Christmas markets around Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich HB), the largest railway station in Switzerland. And although these sausages are supposedly available all over the world, there was something about this perfectly cured, steaming-hot Bratwurst pork sausage coupled with the minus temperature around Christmas, the carols playing in the distance and the warm Glühwein I was happily drinking.
Bratwurst sausage packaged
 
Everybody dreams of visiting Switzerland at least once in their lifetime; my dream was no different. As luck would have it, I was given the opportunity when I was asked to visit Zurich to meet a business client, right around Christmas. It was a dream that was getting bigger, brighter and certainly more probable each day in December of 2013.I did everything a lot of what I would have loved to do in the short while I spent in Zurich—I worked of course, walked around in my new boots, window shopped at the super expensive Bahnhofstrasse, took a train ride to Lucerne, briefly walked around Lake Lucerne, took a cable car ride with the most exquisite view, went up Mount Pilates and got a perfect view of the Alps, clicked a lot of pictures all along the way (something I’d do almost anywhere), stayed in a quaint little hotel right off the Enge train station, strolled around the Christmas markets for a good 2 hours, explored Old Town, shopped and almost got broke, and yes, that includes the sausages.
 Christmas markets around Zurich HB
 
 Zurich old town
 
 A view of the Alps
 

Bahnhofstrasse

The Ingredients

1 packet of Bratwurst Sausages

 The Method

So, here’s what I did with the Bratwurst after getting home. You can’t go wrong with this and it’s apparently the best way you could eat a Bratwurst sausage (but I speak only for the pork one since the sausage is also available in veal and beef and not they’re not quite the same)…

  • Thaw the Bratwurst sausage if it’s frozen.

Sausages

 

  • Boil some water; enough to cover the sausage.
  • Drop the sausage in the boiling water and allow it to cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from water, slice it up if necessary, and serve right away.

Bratwurst Sausage

Serving suggestions: Plain ol’ sausage by itself is amazing; however, you could also serve it with toasted brown bread with a little butter, or a salad on the side. Try not complicating the plate with too much stuff, or the sausage won’t get its due.

I think I’m going to make one right now! Bon appétit!

Lockdown Recipes, Non-vegetarian Nonchalance, Sumptious Main Courses

Goan Chouriço Chilli Fry

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A must-try Goan delicacy if you’re headed to Goa, India, for a holiday!

 

“To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making.” – Otto von Bismarck
The Fact: Sausages were called bangers during the Second World War because they contained so much water that they exploded when fried.
The Inspiration: This dish is born of a special sausage that is home to Goa, India, a tourist destination famous for the glorious sun, the myriad beaches, and the lip-smacking Konkani seafood. I’m not sure of the availability of this sausage outside the state, but I’m sure that getting hold of it would be nothing less than an Olympic feat.
Goan chouriço or chorizo are spicy, flavorful, deep red pork sausage links made from pork, vinegar, chili, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric and other spices that are stuffed into chitterlings (pigs intestines) and sold in dry or wet forms. Goan chouriço is a traditional food item that has built its way into the “authentic” Goan cuisine lineup, thanks to the 451 years of Portuguese rule.Fortunately, I live in a city that’s not too far from Goa. I also have friends and family visiting the place every second month. So the specialty product is not as much a “specialty” as it is an ordinary ingredient in my kitchen.This dish is my quick fix almost once every month. The recipe’s been handed down from my mother and mother in law, and their mothers, and so on. Besides being a quick fix, it’s also one of Ally’s favourites; him being a true “not-born-but-brought-up-in-Goa” kinda Goan.
Frozen Goan Chouriço

The Ingredients

Serves approximately 6 people
  • 1 packet (250 gms) of Goan chouriço
  • 3 – 4 medium-sized onions; sliced
  • 2 green chillies slit down the centre
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons oil
  • A pinch of salt
  • Optional: 1 large potato; cubed

The Method

  • Heat a skillet or a wok and drizzle with oil.
  • Drop the spit chillies into the oil and stir for a few seconds.
  • Toss in the sliced onions and allow them to cook until they are almost translucent.
  • While the onions are cooking, untwine and cut open the covering or sausage lining. Then, roughly chop up the sausages.
  • Add in the cubed potatoes once the onions are done. Fry them with the onions for about a minute or two.
  • Sprinkle some salt over the mixture. You won’t need any more salt or spice because the sausages are pre-seasoned.
  • Add in the chopped sausages and allow them to cook for about 15 – 20 minutes on medium heat.
  • You’ll notice the pork fat melting and a lot of oil collecting in your skillet. I usually scoop out the oil or soak it up using kitchen roll because it’s a little too much oil for my taste. Pork is a red meat and has a high fat content. If you’re health conscious, this isn’t really a dish for you, but if you have to try it, I suggest removing the oil for sure.
  • Serve the dish, hot, with rotis (Indian flat bread) or any bread of your choice.

The same dish when cooked along with rice forms a more substantial ‘Goan chouriço pulav’ meal.

I would recommend a quick jog or some form of workout the next day 🙂 Bon appétit!