Ham and Egg Pie

I always find that "dishes that mother made" are comforting.  They remind me of a simpler time when Mum made all the meals.  One of the things that she made and still makes is a delicious ham and egg pie.  The recipe, originally for a bacon and egg pie, came from my kindergarten's cookbook, and it morphed into Mum's recipe through her changes.

I had a piece of ham that I wanted to use up, so I asked Mum to send me the recipe for her ham and egg pie.  I made my own change by replacing the shortcrust pastry with filo to lighten it up, and leaving out the tomato in the original recipe.

This pie is easy and quick to make with ingredients you are likely to have around the house, and makes a hearty meal.

 

 

To make this pie (as adapted by me), you will need:

 

4 sheets of filo pastry

25 g butter

200g piece of leg ham (or use 4 bacon rashers)

1 onion, finely chopped

3 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

salt, and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon mustard

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

 

Spray a 9" deep pie dish with cooking oil spray.  Place one sheet of filo into the base of the dish, then brush it with butter, place the next sheet of filo on top, and continue with the remaining two sheets in the same way.  Trim the pastry as necessary.

 

Chop the ham into small (~1") cubes.  Beat the eggs and milk together in a medium bowl, then stir through the ham, onion, salt, pepper and mustard.  (Also add chopped tomato if you like.)  Pour this mixture into the pastry-lined pie dish, then sprinkle the top with the grated cheese.

 

 Place the pie in the oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for around 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

You can eat this versatile pie warm or cold.  Serve it with a salad for an easy light meal.