The Ohio Poultry Association invited Lil and I to an eggstravagana at the Ohio State Fair this year. We learned how to make the perfect omelet, talked to poultry farmers, pet chickens, ate Ohio-farmed food for lunch, and indulged in Ohio ice cream while basking in the glow of the butter cow. My friend Kristin aka CbusMom has a great recap of the day including a picture of yours truly riding the giant slide.
There was only one problem with our visit. The Ohio Poultry Association fed us so well that we were too full to experience the deep-fried goodness of street fair food. The meals we ate in the Taste of Ohio center nutritious and filling but I left wanting some indulgence.
Fortunately our extended family was happy to appease this desire on our recent vacation to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Inspired by the Ohio Poultry Association and our abundance of backyard eggs, we made a British creation for the first time: Scotch eggs.
Scotch eggs are hard-boiled eggs nestled in sausage, rolled in a bread crumb coating, and deep fried. We used backyard eggs and homemade bulk breakfast sausage because even fried food can be locally sourced.
Hearty does not begin to describe this protein-packed treat. We gobbled up scotch eggs for dinner one night. Most of us couldn't finish more than one so we chilled leftovers overnight in the fridge. Cold scotch eggs are a familiar train stop food in Great Britain; Alex and others were happy to much on them for breakfast the next day.
Maybe next year we'll see Scotch eggs at the fair!
Scotch Eggs
makes one dozen
13 fresh eggs, divided
1 pound bulk (not stuffed) sausage
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 grinds fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay or other spice mix, optional
1 gallon lard or peanut or other oil for frying
1. Hard-boil 12 eggs in your preferred manner. I cover mine in cold water in a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the pan until boiling, turn off the heat, cover, and time for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, fill pot with cold water and ice until eggs are chilled. This step may be done up to five days ahead.
2. Peel eggs.
3. Use approximately three tablespoons of fresh sausage to completely cover the eggs in an even layer. Set eggs in a single layer on a plate or tray and refrigerate until use.
4. Heat a pot of lard or oil to 375 degrees F for deep frying. Always use a tall, heavy-bottomed pan for deep frying and never fill more than half way. Keep a fire extinguisher and/or can of baking soda nearby in case of a fire.
5. Meanwhile, make a three-bowl breading station. In the first bowl, pour 1/2 cup flour. In the second bowl, mix one fresh egg with 2 tablespoons water. In the third bowl, mix 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, and optional spice mix.
6. When oil is ready, retrieve sausage-covered eggs from the fridge.
7. Roll eggs in the breading bowls in this order: flour, eggs, cornmeal.
8. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer eggs to the hot oil in small batches. Cook for approximately five minutes or until the breading browns. Drain on a towel-lined cooling rack.
9. Serve warm or cold with mustard.
Disclosure: The Ohio Poultry Association provided my family with Ohio State Fair tickets, parking passes, food vouchers, and ride wristbands. All opinions about the deliciousness of homemade fair food are our own.
from the library.
Diffley writes her memoir of growing into a farmer and becoming an accidental activist with the gifts of a fine story teller. Throughout her dramatic tale of finding and losing a farm and then fighting to save another, she shares personal moments of grief, joy, and insatiable desire to grow food organically. She portrays farming realistically, describing the challenges of physical labor and difficult weather while constantly reminding the reader of the same appreciation for nature I feel when working in the garden. "Every time I am in the field or the garden, there is one plant or insect, one leaf or flower, one line or shape that jumps from the rest and catches my senses with the profound beauty of its lovely self," she writes.
