Scotch Egg Pie

The British are famous for their meat pies, and meat pies with eggs in them are a traditional version. Make the meat pork sausage or something like it, and suddenly they are reminiscent of another classic British dish.

We made a trek to Barrie last week, and I found some quail eggs at a Chinese grocery store there! They really are a nicer size to find in a pie than chicken eggs, but there's no denying they are tedious little lumps to peel. At least they peeled fairly well.

I took pork and seasoned it as sausage but if you have a favourite bulk sausage you could just peel off the casings and use it. I happened to have some cooked buckwheat on hand so I used that and thought it worked really well as the filler. Breadcrumbs are the traditional filler, but if you want to avoid them and don't want to fuss with cooking buckwheat, rolled oats could also be used.

6 to 8 servings
2 hours - 45 minutes prep time
allow another 2 hours to cool

Make the Pastry:
2 1/4 cups whole spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg

Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and mix.

Measure the oil, buttermilk, and butter. I do them in a 2 cup measure, adding each one as I go. The butter should be quite soft.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix, but it should all come together to form a ball. Set this aside, covered, while you make the filling.

Make the Filling & Finish the Pie:
6 large OR 8 small chicken eggs OR 18 quail eggs
900 grams (2 pounds) lean ground pork
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed savory
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 or 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
1 large chicken egg
1 cup cooked buckwheat groats OR raw quick-cook oats OR breadcrumbs

Put a pot of water on to boil the eggs, which should be at room temperature. If using chicken eggs, add them when the water boils and boil for 1 minute, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes. If using quail eggs, add them and boil for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Then, remove the eggs to a basin of cold water to cool. When they are cool, peel them.

Meanwhile, put the ground pork into a mixing bowl. Peel and mince the garlic, and add it. Add all the seasonings. Break in the egg and add the buckwheat groats, rolled oats, or breadcrumbs. Mix well by hand.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Cut the pastry into 2 pieces of approximately 60% and 40%. Roll out the larger piece on a sheet of parchment paper to fit a 10" pie plate. Flip it into the pie plate, centre it, and peel off the parchment, fitting it into the angles.

Use half the meat filling to evenly cover the bottom of the pastry-filled pie dish. Make slight indentations in it to hold the eggs, and arrange them in an evenly distributed pattern on the meat. Crumble the remaining meat filling evenly over them then press down gently for form a firm, slightly domed meatloaf.

Roll out the remaining pastry on the parchment paper and flip and centre it on the pie. Peel off the parchment. Pinch the two crusts together to seal them, and cut steam holes in the top of the pie. Bake for a hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, with a baking tray under the pie plate to catch any drips. Let the pie cool to no more than warm before serving it. If made in advance, it should be brought back up to room temperature before it is served.




Last year at this time I made Parsnip Hash Browns.

Posted in: Ontario Food