ofm top twenty: bacon and egg pie

 

another egg focused recipe, although hen’s rather than quail this time, not least because i accidently ordered a tray of 30 eggs rather than my usual box of 6! still, this margot henderson egg and bacon pie, which is part of the ofm top twenty, has made a decent dent in my stash as it uses 11 eggs.

the recipe is described as “an old school pie from new zealand: you are not a proper mother if you don't pack your kids off with bacon and egg pie for their sports day” so i was intrigued as my childhood eggy packed lunch, and much-loved it was, was my mum’s cheese and onion pie. 

so, how did i get on?

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frugal food

when i was cooking for the fundraiser i was keen to avoid waste and this bacon and mushroom risotto, while not particularly beautiful to look at, was the final stage of that.

i used bacon scraps which came from the grilled bacon we served with burgers plus the stalks from the mushrooms which i’d roasted for the veggie burgers and also added the mushroom juices that were released when i roasted them to my stock. a handful of parmesan and some sage from the garden were the finishing touches to a rich and flavoursome dish.

roasted asparagus with smoky bacon

natoora added a bunch of thick-stemmed green asparagus to the white which they sent me last week. i decided to use it to try out a few new ways of cooking asparagus. this was very simple – i wrapped the spears in smoky bacon (make sure you remove the rind, you can also use pancetta rashers) and placed in a lightly oiled dish. rub the exposed asparagus tips with a little more oil, season with black pepper (the bacon will provide all the salt you need) then roast at 220c for 12-15 minutes – you need to make sure the bacon has started to crisp so it may need a few minutes longer and you might want to turn it over.

i really enjoyed this – i wasn’t a big fan of roasted asparagus when i tried it last but the crispy bacon is a lovely contrast to the almost buttery soft asparagus spears. i think it worked particularly well as the asparagus spears were so fat - this made them wonderfully juicy.

tartiflette

potatoes and i have never been particularly close friends. friends go into raptures at the thought of mash… baked potatoes…  skinny frites… chunky chips... creamy dauphoinoise… crispy hasselbacks… potato salad… and  so the list goes on.

for me, potatoes are very rarely my carb of choice and while i’ll pick up a bag of jersey royals when they are in season or a larger floury potato for some sort for a fishcake, it is unusual for them to be the star of the show if i’m in the cooking seat.

however, this week that had to change – my friend kirsty was staying and requested “meat, potatoes and cheese” for her supper. tartiflette was deemed to be the answer to my problem, according to friends who have more time for the humble spud than i.

i used lucy’s recipe, having bought my reblochon at john lewis food hall on oxford street (they have a cheese room – i do love it) and stocked up on charcuterie, cornichons, silver-skin pickled onions and green salad to accompany it. kirsty provided white wine and i forget the crusty white bread that was also deemed necessary.

no matter, it was declared a hit and the dish was scraped clean. it’s too rich a dish for me and a bit too potato-y but i’m really pleased to have tried it and, if you have someone making “meat, potatoes and cheese” demands this is a quick and easy way to satisfy them. delicious too apparently – if you like that sort of thing.