Boxing Day Egg and Bacon Pie

For the pastry:
240g plain flour
60g Trex, or other vegetable shortening
60g butter
3-5 tbsp salted iced water – or enough to bind
For the filling:
500g pancetta or bacon, chopped into small batons
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
approximately 2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 large eggs
Make the pastry by freezing the fats and flour together for 10 min, then tip into a food processor, and blitz to a flaky rubble. Add enough iced water to bind, then form into 2 discs, cover them with cling film, and rest in the fridge for 20 min.
Preheat to 200c
Cook the pancetta or bacon in a pan with the onion, peppering well. Beat the spring onion, parsley and eggs together, and set aside while you roll out the pastry.
Using one of the discs, line the dish, leaving an overhang. Roll out the other half to make a lid and set to one side. Transfer the pancetta and onion mixture to the pastry lined pie plate, and pour over the egg mixture. With a little cold water, dampen the edges of the pastry case, and cover with the rolled out lid. Cut off the excess pastry and seal and pinch all around the rim. Make a hole in the lid to let out steam, put in the oven and bake for 30 min.
Sit on a wire rack until slightly above room temperature, or cold.

This was way easy. The freezer trick for making pastry really takes any worry out of it, it comes out reliably beautifully. As for the filling, what could be bad about eating a pound of bacon with a little egg and onion. Sounds like a dream food to me… And it was. Also great because it can be eaten cold, which means it can be made in advance, meaning it’s good for picnics or guests, or even just a day when you want to be done with everything early.

More good stuff from Nigella Lawson.