Forfar Bridies

You can't not make this recipe, with its wonderful name. I was reminded of it when reading Espresso Tales, by Alexander McCall Smith, and the Scottish place name Forfar came up.

These are little pasties, a meal in the hand, that the Scots probably buy fresh down at the local shop. Too bad for us, but at least we can have the pleasure of preparing, eating, and saying the name of our very own Forfar Bridies.

You can read about the name and history of this dish at Scotland's Enchanting Kingdom, where you will also find another version of the recipe and a photo, as well. This version (below) came originally from Welcome to My Scotland.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 to 16 pastries

12 ounces lean ground lamb or ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons beef broth or stock
Pastry for a double-crust pie
1 egg white, frothed lightly with a fork

1. Cook meat until it is no longer pink; drain thoroughly and add onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and just enough stock or broth to moisten the mixture.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll pastry on a floured board to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into rounds; depending on preference, they can be from 3 to 6 inches in diameter.

3. Spoon filling onto the bottom half of each circle; fold over and crimp edges tightly. Brush lightly with egg white and cut three slashes in top of each.

4. Place on flat baking sheet. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.