These mouth-watering hand held pies, inspired by Scotch eggs, are a portable lunch option that can be served hot or cold. Lean lamb mince is combined with chorizo sausage, spring onions, herbs and quail eggs are encased in shortcrust pastry and served with a home made spiced tomato relish.
Prep Time
35 Mins
Cook Time
25 Minutes
Serves
6 People
Ingredients
- 375g lean lamb mince
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 50g chorizo sausage, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 x 320g packs shortcrust pastry
- 12 quail’s eggs, hard-boiled
- Beaten egg, to glaze
- For the Spiced Tomato Relish:
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
- 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 x 200g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- Pinch dried chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
Method
- To make the filling, in a large bowl mix together the mince, spring onions, chorizo and parsley. Season.
- On a lightly floured surface roll the pastry to a thickness of a one pound coin and cut out twelve 9cm circles to fit a 12-hole greased muffin tin. Cut twelve 7cm circles for the lid.
- Gently press the large pastry circles into the holes of the muffin tins and half fill with a portion of the mince mixture. Top with a quail egg then a final layer of the mince mixture to cover.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan, Gas Mark 6. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, then place the lid on top, pressing the edges together to seal. Brush the tops with the remaining egg and make a hole in the centre for any steam to escape.
- Bake the pies for 25 minutes, then leave to cool in the tin.
- Meanwhile, prepare the relish; heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Cook the onions for 2-3 minutes, or until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Serve the pies with the relish (both the pies and the relish taste great hot or cold).
Tips:
This recipe works well with beef mince too.
