Classic Leek & Bacon Quiche...and others!

A staple on the weeknight menu in our house. I did try to mix it up with different fillings but we often came back to this one.

Make enough shortcrust pastry to line a flan dish and bake blind until dry and slightly golden. Make sure there are no holes in it for the filling to leak out!

Annabel Langbein uses an olive oil pastry for her quiche (from whom I've stolen the filling recipe). I used it a few times and it is nice. She doesn't blind bake it before filling so it is quick.

In a jug, mix together with a fork:

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream or cream

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Put a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan and when hot add:

1 large leek, thinly sliced (don't forget to wash it first)

2 tsp thyme leaves, ideally fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme

Cook until fully wited before adding chopped bacon and cook until the bacon is cooked through and it smells great. You could use leftover ham instead of the bacon. In which case you don't need to cook it with the leek.

When the pastry case is ready, add in the leek and bacon mixture, cover in 1 cup of grated cheese and then pour over the egg and cream mix. You can put slices of tomato on top, sometimes I do, sometimes I forget!

Bake at 170C for about 30 mins, but until the filling is set and the pastry golden.

Allow to cool for at least 10 mins in the case before attempting to cut and serve. We serve with salad.

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I like to do a version of this with lots of broccoli in it and using a wholemeal pastry crust which is easily made in the food processor:

1 cup wholemeal plain flour

1/2 cup plain flour

150g chilled butter, cut into cubes

2 free range egg yolks

Chilled water (to bring it together)

Put flours and butter into the food processor and zuzz until it looks like breadcrumbs, add the egg yolks and water and keep zuzzing only until it comes together. Wrap it in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge for half an hour. With this pastry, you do need to blind bake it first. I do about 10 mins with the rice/beans in and then 10 mins without it.

All different variations on a theme! I think the one below had some mozzarella on it!