Bacon &amp; Egg Pie

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Bacon & Egg Pie

Look no further for an ultimate Kiwi comfort food.

Whenever I get chatting with people about New Zealand, they always ask what kind of food we eat. I always feel like I am letting them down when I say "Oh, you know, normal stuff: 3 meat and vege, roasts, pasta..." It's not really like we have national dish, except maybe roast lamb, the disputed pavlova or hangi, but hangi is really more for special occasions.

One of my childhood loves is Bacon and Egg pie. Oh it is so good. All the stuff that is bad for you: puff pastry, bacon, eggs and tomatoes. Traditionally, I'm told, this is made for farmers to be eaten cold at the back of the farm - it's full of energy giving fats and a slice of a well-cooked pie can be easily held in one hand (much like the crust on Cornish Pasties).

Kiwi Bacon and Egg Pie

Ingredients:

3-4 Sheets of Flaky Puff Pastry
14-16 Rashers of Bacon (or enough to cover two layers of the pie dish you use)
3 medium Tomatoes Sliced
Seasoning - Salt & Pepper
Half a Red Onion sliced
16-18 Whole Eggs (or enough to cover two layers of the pie dish you use)

Cover the bottom and sides of your pie dish with Pastry, ensuring even coverage
Lay a layer of Bacon along the bottom
Follow with a Layer of Tomatoes, season, then a later of red onion Slices
Crack in your eggs - you want an even coverage of eggs over the onion slices, then agitate the yolks slightly with a fork
Lay another layer of Bacon gently over the Eggs
Add your pie top, and decorate if desired. Seal the top and bottom pastry with a fork.
Glaze for the unctious golden brown
Cook in a 180° for 40-45 minutes, and turn the oven off. When you take it out of the own, press the centre of the pie with your fingers - if squidgy (and yes that is a true baking term) put it back in the turned off oven for 15 minutes.
Enjoy Hot or Cold, invite me for lunch, and eat shortly after making. Not that it will last long! Serves 6-8 people depending on how hard they have been working!