Rustic Quiche with Maple Apple Chicken Sausage

For more than a year now we've been a part of a wonderful CSA. They provide us with great vegetables and local products year round. We don't grow much wheat for flour in Vermont, but we do grow some other grains and as a result we've a pantry full of mixed grains, oats, barley, etc from the CSA. Figuring out what to do with them has been a challenge. They aren't really foods we've cooked much.

So, over the weekend when I was wondering what to make...feeling like we had a house full of food and nothing to cook...I decide to venture out and make what I'll call a "rustic quiche." - mixed grains, whole wheat flour and a little maple sugar to sweeten the crust, leftovers from the fridge for a filling  (maple apple chicken sausage, broccoli, potatoes from breakfast and a few onions), topping it all off some good Vermont cheddar cheese. The results were, well, the kind of meal that makes you feel good, full and warm.

Multi-grain Crust
Mixed Grains
Water
Whole Wheat Flour
Maple Sugar


Cook the mixed grains on simmer. One part grains to two parts water. Cook until the grains are soft and the liquid has mostly evaporated or been absorbed. You'll need to stir occasionally to prevent the grains from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and add flour. I'd say about equal parts mixed grain and flour, but start slowly it may not actually be that much - continue to add flour and mix until the mixture holds a shape. Add maple sugar (I used about 1/4 cup - translates probably to roughly a quarter part). Place the mixture into a pie or desired baking dish and press until evenly distributed along the bottom and sides - about a half inch thick.

The Filling
The filling could really be anything you desire. I imagine ham and leek would be wonderful or bacon, swiss chard, and onion.The opportunities are endless. 
Eggs
Milk
Broccoli
Chicken Sausage
Potatoes
Cheddar Cheese
For this particular version it was chicken sausage, potatoes and broccoli. I mixed 8 eggs with about a cup of milk (remember I really just cook and don't measure much - so go by what feels right). Seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.


Sliced two links of maple apple chicken sausage and lined the bottom of the crust with these. I then add some frozen broccoli. Again maybe a cup. I then poured the egg mixture over the the broccoli and sausage. I then added the pre-cooked potatoes. Distributing them evenly over the top. Finally, I topped it all with a generous amount of cheddar cheese.

The quiche cooked in 375 degrees. I pulled it out when the crust was golden and the eggs had set about 40 minutes. Served with a small side salad and a glass of red wine.

Pasta with Winter Squash, Sweet Italian Sausage & Maple Sugar

Inspired by some local sweet "Italian" sausage we'd picked up at the farmer's market and some winter squash from the garden, I pulled onions, some dried sage and of course maple sugar from the pantry and began cooking. I tend to cook on the fly, and well, this was one of those recipes. I can't give you any exact measurements - but a rough ingredients list is below. It just kind of came together, a wonderful hearty blend of sweet and savory that was too good not to share. 

The flavors are bold and warm. It's a quick and wonderful dish for a cool fall day. Give it a try and make it your own - I'm sure you could easily substitute pure maple syrup for maple sugar. 

The Rough Recipe:

2 Sweet Italian Sausage 

Onions 

Granulated Maple Sugar

1 Box Pasta (Bow Ties)

2 Small Winter Squash thinly sliced

8 Whole Dried Sage Leaves Crushed

1 Cup Apple Cider 

Salt and Pepper To Taste

To start, place a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. 

Slice the sausages into 1/2" rounds and lightly sprinkled with maple sugar. Cook on medium heat in a skillet for about 5 minutes. Removed the sausage and added the onions to caramelize. To speed the process add a bit of maple sugar to them. Cook about 10 minutes or until suitably caramelized.

While the onions are cooking add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. When the pasta is nearly done (with 3 or 4 minutes left to cook) add the sliced winter squash. When pasta is cooked, drain the squash and pasta.

Finally, add a bit of apple cider to the onions to deglaze the pan. Then almost immediately add a bit of the dried sage and let the cider reduce for a few minutes. Then return the sausage pieces to the pan, as well as any of the squash that need longer to cook. Finally, add the remaining squash and pasta to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, mix throughly, and serve.