Mini pork and chorizo picnic pies

These mini pork and chorizo picnic pies have got a hidden quail's egg in the middle and make a great snack. Encased in crispy shortcrust pastry, they are the perfect picnic treat

Ingreadient:

• 10 quails’ eggs
• 450g lean pork mince
• 150g chorizo-style sausage, skinned and crumbled
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• finely chopped to make 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 500g ready-made shortcrust pastry
• 1 egg, beaten to glaze

Directions :

1. Drop the quails’ eggs into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes then plunge them into iced water. Peel the eggs when they’re completely cool.
2. Put the mince, chorizo, fennel, parsley and paprika in a large bowl and add 1 tsp sea salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Mix really well with clean hands. Fry a tiny piece of the mixture to check the seasoning and add more if you think it needs it.
3. Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.Roll 2/3 of the pastry to 20p thickness then cut circles big enough to line 10 holes of a muffin tin. Line the the holes with the 10 circles of pastry, then fill each half-full with mince mixture. Make a little indent in the mince in each pie and sit a quail’s egg in each indent, then cover the eggs with the remaining mince mixture. Roll out the rest of the pastry and top every pie, crimping the edges together with a fork. Glaze the pies with the egg then use a knife to make a little steam hole in each.
4. Bake the pies for 40 minutes, then let them cool completely in the tin before removing.