Portuguese Quiche Linguica Cheese Pie Recipes

PORTUGUESE FRITTATA

Steps:

• Pre-Heat oven to 350°F.
• In a bowl whisk together eggs, cream, 1-teaspoon salt and 1-teaspoon pepper.
• Melt butter in a 8 inch cast iron skillet, add sausage and saute 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes, peppers, onions, Hungarian Paprika, salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables 2-3 minutes.
• Pour eggs into skillet, add 1/4 cup Casteloes Cheese and spread evenly over the skillet.
• Place skillet on a sheet pan and bake frittata for 15-minutes. Add 1/4 cup Casteloes Cheese and bake 5-minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 5- minutes, slice and serve on a warm plates.
• Garnish with a sliced Navel Orange or fresh fruit.

LUNCH PIE, AKA QUICHE, WITH TOULOUSE SAUSAGE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• To make the crust, place the 1 1/4 cups of flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once to mix. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and scatter over the flour. Pulse until the mixture is somewhat crumbly. Add the water and pulse again until the mixture adheres when squeezed between your fingers. Gather the dough into a loose ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Press into a smooth disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round about 2 inches larger than a 9- to 10-inch tart pan. Transfer the round to the pan, easing it into the bottom and up the sides. Fold in any excess dough hanging above the top and press it against the pan so it adheres. Prick the crust all across the bottom with a fork.
• Bake until barely golden on the bottom and around the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside, leaving the oven on.
• To make the filling, rinse the spinach and shake off the excess water, leaving the spinach slightly moist. Place in a microwave-safe bowl or in a sauté pan. Cover and place in the microwave oven, or cover and cook on the stove top over medium heat until wilted but still bright green, 1 to 2 minutes by either method. Let cool, squeeze out the remaining moisture, and set aside.
• Add just enough oil to a small sauté pan to film the bottom and place over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring to break up the clumps, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and spread the sausage across the bottom of the partially baked crust.
• Combine the eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in the cheese and stir in the spinach. Pour the custard mixture into the crust.
• Bake until the filling puffs up and is golden on top and a fork inserted in the center comes out clean but still a little moist, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

LINGUICA (SMOKED PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Rinse fatback thoroughly and soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Remove and chop into small pieces.
• Pour olive oil in a small pan and saute garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not let it brown. Remove from pan and put into a large bowl. Add fatback, pork butt, wine, paprika, milk, vinegar, salt, sugar, liquid smoke, marjoram, white pepper, black pepper, and red pepper and mix until everything is well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.
• Test the sausage flavor by frying a small bit of it in a pan and tasting it. Adjust spices if needed and place back in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 more hours.
• Run water through hog casings and rinse out as well as possible. Soak in warm water for 30 minutes.
• Set up sausage stuffing attachment on KitchenAid®. Squeeze out water from a length of casing. Tie one end in a knot, then roll onto sausage making fitting like a condom. Turn KitchenAid® onto medium speed. Feed cold sausage mixture a little at a time into the funnel. Use one hand to keep casing tight and one to feed meat mixture. Twist off links as you get to desired length. Repeat with remaining hog casings and sausage mixture.
• Add several handfuls of hot coal into a smoker to get a base temperature going, then let the temperature die down to about 140 degrees F 60 degrees C). You need a cold smoke to smoke the sausages so it doesn't cook and the skin doesn't get browned.
• When smoker has the right temperature, add hickory wood chunks. The temperature will spike again, so let it cool back down to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
• Using toothpicks, hang sausages in the smoker as far away from the direct heat source as possible. Maintain temperature at 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) as best as possible. It's difficult - don't sweat it if you get spikes. Just open the smoker door and let heat escape accordingly.
• Smoke until links are deep red and skin is starting to firm, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove from smoker and let rest for 30 minutes. Cook like any other sausage before, either pan-fry or grill, before serving.

MOM'S FRENCH CHEESE PIE - QUICHE LORRAINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook the bacon until it is crisp, remove it from the pan and set it aside, then drain the fat while reserving 1 tablespoon of it in the pan.
• Add the onion and gently cook it until it is tender, but is not browned.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs, light cream or half & half, salt, and pepper.
• Crumble or roughly chop the bacon to your preference.
• Place the pie shell in a pie plate.
• Place the bacon, onion, and cheese in the bottom if the pie shell/crust, then pour the egg mixture over.
• Bake in the preheated 375 degree F oven for about 45 minutes, or until the quiche is firm and lightly browned.
• Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.