The weather is definitely turning. We went from two months of sub-zero temperatures into the mid 30’s (almost a 70-degree change), literally overnight! The snow is melting and there is a definite shift in the air. Many of our spring celebrations like the Spring Equinox (Ēostre, Ostara), Easter and Passover are just around the corner and I for one am ready for a change of season!
Long held across many cultures, as the utmost symbol of fertility, birth and new beginnings is the egg, humble yet a perfect food that should be featured on your menus in the coming weeks.
We celebrate the Ēostre/ the Equinox in our household. A quick little history on the holiday is as follows: Ēostre is the name of an Anglo Saxon Goddess of the Dawn who was celebrated during the month of April and so her name has been given to the festival of Easter. This connection with the Spring Equinox and Ēostre is why the Christian celebration of Easter includes decorating colorful eggs, egg hunts and the like. No matter what holiday you celebrate, even if it is just the arrival of spring, eggs are a perfect symbolic food because it is around this time that chickens begin to naturally increase their egg production.
While we are talking about history, the origin of Scotch eggs is not known. The earliest printed recipe is from 1809, although the London department store Fortnum and Mason claims they invented the Scotch Egg in the mid 1700’s. What we know for sure is that Scotch eggs are a popular picnic food in the UK. They are usually served cold, although in the US and other places they are served in gastropubs hot and usually with some kind of accompanying sauce. In this interpretation I have served it with a curry mayo. The color reminds me of spring and longer sunnier days ahead.
These Scotch eggs are a beautiful culinary tribute to the equinox. A hard-boiled egg, covered in a shell of sausage, cracked open and devoured- now there is a great way to celebrate! We made our Scotch eggs using fresh eggs from our hens and the last of the homemade sausage we made from our pig-share. If you keep animals, especially chickens and pigs this is a good time to thank them for all the hard work they have done keeping you well fed. This snack is truly a homesteader’s delight!
UP THE YUM: I am a big stickler for sourcing the best ingredients I can and I am particularly concerned with how I source my animal products. If you can, think about buying humanely raised and organic. Even if you can’t, you can take a moment to thank the source of your food and all who were involved getting it to your plate (including the person that cooked it!) If you want to source local, organic, humanely raised products and not sure how to go about it, please leave a comment or send me a message and I will be happy to help get you started!
- 4 organic eggs
- 1 lb. of sausage
- ⅓ cup oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Scottish Oatmeal) (you can alternately use cornmeal or almond meal)
- pinch of salt
- pepper to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup mayo (I use homemade)
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder (I use Teeny Tiny Spice Co. of Vermont Organic British Curry)
- STEP 1: Boil the eggs - How To Make Perfect Boiled Eggs: Place eggs in a pot of cold water (use enough water to cover the eggs), add to the water 1 teaspoon of sea salt and a glug of vinegar. Put a lid on the pot and put on a burner over high heat. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat off and set a timer for 12 minutes. Immediately remove the eggs from the water and run them under cold water or place them in a bowl of cold water. After about 5 minutes they will be cool enough to touch. At this point peel the eggs and set them aside.
- STEP 2: Get your skillet ready - Heat up a cast iron skillet over medium heat
- STEP 3: Tuck the eggs in - Take ¼ of the sausage and make a flat pancake out of it and place one egg in the center and carefully wrap the egg entirely in the sausage, then roll the whole thing in the oats. Do the same procedure using the rest of the eggs, sausage and oats.
- STEP 4: Cook Scotch Eggs & Prepare Curry Mayo - Add olive oil to the warm cast iron skillet. Place the Scotch eggs in the skillet and brown on all sides, about 3-5 minutes each side (15-20 minutes total). While the eggs are cooking, you can mix the mayo and curry powder together and reserve until serving time.
- STEP 5: Enjoy! These can be served immediately, or cooled and refrigerated for picnic food!
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Yum! I love Scotch eggs, I make mine with ras el hanout, this variation sounds incredible!
That sounds really good too! Do you just mix the spice into the meat?
What a good post. Love the history you always associate with these special recipes. It sounds easy to prepare as well as delicious.
Thank you!