Vegetarian scotch eggs (with help from Andy Bates)

They look just right! – JD, 4

These lovely eggs may look like their meaty cousin, the scotch egg but no, the surrounding meat is in fact a spicy blend of beans and peas.

Following on from his successful show on Food Network (Sky 262, Freeview 48 and freesat 403),  TV chef Andy Bates is back with his first cookbook, Modern Twists on Classic Dishes which is out 31st October and packed full of his own take on simple, hearty British recipes.

We gave his veggie scotch eggs a go. This recipe makes four.

Ingredients

• 4 large free range eggs
• 400g can chickpeas
• 400g can red kidney beans
• 400g can white cannellini beans
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander (we left this out)
• 1 tsp fresh, finely chopped ginger
• 1 tsp fresh, finely chopped chilli
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 125g plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 free range eggs, beaten
• 1tbsp milk
• 400g white breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Instructions

1. Place the eggs, still in their shells, in a pan of boiling water, simmer for 6 minutes. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, then peel

2. For the filling, drain the canned beans and chickpeas, and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Mash them together, creating a coarse mix. Add the coriander, ginger, chilli and seasoning and mix

3. Divide into four 100g portions and flatten each out on a piece of clingfilm, into ovals about 12.5cm long and 7.5cm at its widest point.

4. Place each egg onto bean mix oval, then pick the cling film square up by its corners, and use it to wrap the mix around each egg. Make sure the coating is smooth and completely covers the egg.

5. Prepare a crumbing station by adding flour to a wide bowl. In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs with milk. Put the breadcrumbs on a large plate.

6. Roll each one first in the flour, then in the beaten egg, making sure it is completely coated. Then roll in the breadcrumbs to completely cover. Repeat the process excluding flour to double-coat. (we didn’t double coat as I like quite a thin coating)

7. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 180⁰C. Carefully place each Scotch egg into the hot oil and deep-fry for 7-8 minutes until golden and crisp

8. Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper

9. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving

They really are lovely, so I hope you give it a go. My thanks to Food Network for giving me permission to reproduce the recipe here.

And if you’re suitably impressed with Andy’s recipe skills, I’d also recommend checking out his new series, American Street Feasts which is currently airing weekdays at 12.30pm and 6.30pm on Food Network.

Disclosure: we were sent a copy of Modern Twists on Classic Dishes free of charge for review. No payment was received for this post. All posts are 100% honest.

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