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veggie sausage, pea and egg pie

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… it’s a funny old life being a food blogger.  As many of you will know there are some joyously, momentous times and then some very low ‘why am I doing this’ times.  I feel like i’ve finally reached a stage in my blogging years where I know longer really care about others opinions and have settled into a comfortable and happy routine of delicious recipes and nice little tidbits and insights into my life.  Sometimes it is a struggle to be innovative in both the recipes I deliver and my writing but i’d rather not deliver anything that just give you endless empty diatribe or fanciful pulchritude.  I also feel like I’ve finally managed to sort out a life / work / blog balance that doesn’t leave me tearing my hair out in frustration at the end of every week…  of course there are some things that continue to frustrate and I don’t think i’ll ever not be disappointed when I see my rankings drop but then I have to remind myself that i’m not really here for the rankings.  I’m here for the love of the cooking and the writing and the chicken thighs…

veggie sausage, pea and egg pie
I simply adore village life… last weekend was our good friends wedding anniversary.  Graeme and Paula celebrated 25 years of marriage in style in their back garden with a glorious buffet and plenty of booze.  These kind of events tend to be a ‘bring a bowl’ type affair where everyone coming brings a dish and once was a time when there would have been many a meeting and discussions about who was bringing what but we’ve all known each other for such a long time that we don’t even have the discussion any more and I know that I will turn up with a couple of quiches… as it happens my oven was also on hand to bake half a salmon which i’d never done before but it turned out so beautifully I will definitely be making it again.  For my quiches I wanted something a little more hearty and substantial so I went down more of a pie route packing it with veggie sausage slices, little button mushrooms and large chunks of leeks plus our good friend Rosie gave me some divine little Bantam eggs which I thought looked so cute cracked on top…

for the pastry
250g plain flour
100g salted butter
1/ teaspoon english mustard powder
50g finely grated strong cheddar
water to mix
for the filling
4 vegetarian sausages – I used Cauldron sausages which have a nice texture and structure for a dish like this.
2 spring or salad onions – roughly chopped
3 baby leeks – thickly sliced
1/2 fennel bulb – thinly sliced
300g baby button mushrooms
butter and olive oil
fresh rosemary – finely chopped
salt and pepper
3 large free-range eggs – beaten
100ml single cream
150ml cottage cheese
1 Bantam or small egg for decoration

I’ve used a 25cm fluted quiche tin which is 3cm deep… which I buttered well into all the grooves

make the pastry first by rubbing the butter into the flour in a large bowl until you have something resembling breadcrumbs, stir in the grated cheddar and mustard powder then add a tablespoon or two of cold water and bring together into a dough with your hands, you may need to add a little more water to create the dough but you will feel how ‘short’ the pastry is.  Wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
generously slice your vegetarian sausages and in a large pan gently melt a generous amount of butter with a little olive oil and salute the sausage slices until golden, then set aside.  Add a little more butter and oil to the pan then add the onions, leeks, fennel and mushrooms and gently sauce them all until the leeks are soft and the mushrooms are beginning to brown.  This can take up to 10 minutes on a low heat, stir the saluted sausages back in then set the whole pan aside off the heat.
now your pastry should be ready, roll it out and line your greased quiche pan. Scrunch up some baking parchment and then lay this into the pastry case and pour some baking beans on top. Blind bake for 15 minutes on 150C
once your pastry is turning golden, take it out of the oven and set aside whilst you beat the eggs into the cream and cottage cheese… pour the veggie sausage mix into the pastry case followed by the cream and then crack the small egg on top.

Bake on 160C for about 20 minutes until golden and risen, set aside on a wire rack to cool.  The quiche should easily slide out of the tin.

i’m linking this pie to The Pastry Challenge hosted by Jen from Jen’s Food and Lisa from United Cakedom 

eat and of course, enjoy!

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Comments

  3. I think achieving the work/ blog/ life balance is always a careful balancing act, I go through spates of getting rankings up but I think that puts too much pressure on, and you lose some of the joy and the reason why you started in the first place. Your village sounds so lovely 🙂

    The pie looks fab – I love the cute mini egg on top!

  5. You have no worry about your ratings or your blog-style…. Just carry on doing what you do and people will love you for it!
    I went through a bit of a phase where I looked around the web and thought 'why can't I be up there with the big guys?' Then I realised I didn't have the time and that any more time to the blog would impact the family too much alongside the 'real world' job. I had to remind myself about my actual motivation for writing the blog in the first place…. a record of my GF foodie experiments and a recipe book for my daughter's future! I feel far more chilled about it again now I have put myself back on non-competitive level ground!
    Nice pie by the way!! xx

  6. I fully agree with what you say about blogging, Dom. You don't want the blog to dominate your life. Love the quiche too – especially the way you managed to get it out of the tin without damaging it! Why are quiche-tins made with scalloped edges???

  7. thanks Mark… it can be hard to strike that balance… I think quiche tins are fluted so they look pretty. If you do the pre-baking then they should slide out proper easy!

  13. Dom we all love you and your blog, just follow in Janice's footsteps and remain a cool dude 😉

    Great pie quiche, I would have very happily tucked into it if I'd been around.

  15. I am SO with you on your thoughts about the food blogging world Dom and I feel just the same way too! For now, just pass me the pie over please, which looks FABULOUS! Real honest food – amazing! Karen

  16. The pie looks splendid. Pinned it to 3 different boards. I've never been in the big league of bloggers anyway, so my attitude to rankings is already no-fuss. Your blog has a distinct style, and I don't think you should ever worry about stats. Though there's nothing wrong with a bit of a fanciful pulchritude either, lol.

  17. The perception of bloggers seems to be we sit around make stuff and write stuff it's hard to describe to non-bloggers what sort of work goes into it! I have been blogging for 4 years now and have finally come to a point where it will always be hobby and I am happy with that. It's good to hear you've found that balance that works for you!!

    The pie looks delicious I love the egg on top! Thank you for entering it into this month's pastry challenge!

  21. Just catching up as I love the veggie sausage in this – love what you say about blogging – I still keep an eye on stats when I can and they go up and down but I know that is not the main aim of my blog – never was and that being happier is more important than being popular (and you don't have to be online to know that – it is a long held wisdom) And your village life always seems quite idyllic (though a little bit midsomer murders – ha ha)