The British are diligent egg eaters. They serve at least a couple of them at each breakfast, generally fried and accompanied by garnishes that are very much theirs, such as canned beans or roasted tomatoes and sausages of a sadness that induces sympathy.
The British are also applied in the art of the picnic. Although the concept comes from its archrivals in France, the inhabitants of the humid Atlantic islands have had a love for centuries of going out into the countryside riding their bicycles, with a basket full of boats and lunch boxes to taste a tasty meal lying on a checkered blanket. The ants are put by nature.
One of the must-have items for a Brit to enjoy a casual country meal is Scotch eggs. It is a tasty dish, easy to prepare, which keeps well over the hours and days, which can be eaten hot or cold, with or without sauce.
In other words, it meets all the conditions to establish itself as the equivalent of our Spanish omelette. There is only the downside that, despite their name, they are not Scottish. But that doesn’t seem to matter to anyone, not even modern Picts.
First of all, it must be clarified that Scotch eggs are boiled eggs, wrapped in flavored minced meat, battered and fried. And then, that the name could be related to its inventor, the owner of a Yorkshire (England) pub named William J. Scott, whose place was named after him. He would have devised the recipe, and, in a self-tribute, would have baptized it as scotties. It would be in the middle of the 19th century.
This version, however, clashes with the more widespread story about the paternity of Scottish eggs. fortnum stores
Another very plausible explanation for the emergence of this snack among wealthy Britons would have to do with contact with Indian gastronomy. Much of British cuisine comes from the days of the Raj. And Scotch eggs could be a simple adaptation of Hindustani nargisi kofta. Although there, of course, with a load of hot spices.
To those who care less about the exact origin of Scotch eggs than the way they are prepared, it must be said that it is an extraordinarily simple dish, for which you do not have to be particularly gifted in pots and pans. But that there are some significant steps to make it a success.
First of all, you have to choose small size eggs. Because when they are wrapped with the meat and then saddled, they end up in a considerable size. If they are too big, they will not be a problem to bite when you sit on the picnic blanket. But if you go in a carriage, the crumbs of fried bread, the curdled yolk and the minced meat can make anyone’s coat lose.
The British use beef as an egg wrapper. Here you usually choose, when chopping meat, to mix it with pork, which provides more juiciness. Also, a teaspoon of the inevitable English mustard, plus chives and garlic are often the flavorings of choice for the egg coat.
The next step is to show some skill in wrapping the core with minced meat. You have to try to create as thin a layer as possible, because that way it won’t be raw when frying. Then, the final batter can be the classic breadcrumbs or add some imagination with polenta or panko. Some people prefer to give a final touch in the oven to enhance the darkening of the coating and ensure that the meat is cooked well.
By the way, the British only boil their eggs for six minutes, because they prefer the yolk to be sticky like volcanic lava, which makes the dish much tastier. If you are not in favor of it, it is enough to extend the boiling to 9 or 10 minutes and you will obtain a completely solid white.
The final appearance will be reminiscent of a giant croquette or, more precisely, of one of the adorable Sicilian arancine, the way to make use of leftover risotto on the largest island in the Mediterranean.
Scotch eggs (also known in Britain as “tasty eggsâ€, “picnic eggsâ€, “snack eggsâ€, “party eggs†or “party eggsâ€) had a moment of very bad press in the late of the last century, when low-quality versions were sold at gas stations, fortune shops and supermarkets.
But that has been overcome, and there has been a vindication of Scotch eggs even by renowned chefs, who serve them in their restaurants by adding sophistication to the aromatics of the meat, with the accompanying sauces or even changing the wrapper for fish. There are those who dare to attack the recipe with quail eggs, to achieve a more comfortable and flirtatious result. In addition, it is already known that in haute cuisine rooms the smaller something is, the more sophisticated it seems.
