Colorful vegetables, salty olives, and herbs—reminiscent of the south of France—complement the filling of this quiche, made with a light chicken sausage. Oven-roasted potatoes are a nice accompaniment.
1 (9-inch single) Basic Piecrust or purchased pie shell, thawed if frozen
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound bulk Garlicky Chicken and Rosemary Sausage or purchased poultry sausage
1/2 small onion, diced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Gruyère
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoons herbes de Provence
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick pie shell all over with the tines of a fork and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pastry is set and just starting to brown. Remove crust from the oven, and set aside.
2. While crust bakes, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove sausage from the skillet with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
3. Add onion, zucchini, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Set aside.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Whisk eggs with cream in a mixing bowl. Stir in sausage, vegetable mixture, Gruyère, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, parsley, and herbes de Provence. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour custard into prepared piecrust.
5. Bake quiche for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is browned and eggs are set. Serve immediately.
Note: The filling can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Add 5 to 7 minutes to the baking time if filling is chilled.