As a student of ancient history, I found myself recently studying the work of archeologists excavating the site of a fierce battle in 1361 near the medieval community of Visby, on the island of Gotland off the east coast of Sweden. The skirmish was sadly mismatched, between professional soldiers and mercenaries serving the king of Denmark and ill-fated defenders of the homeland, old men, youths and farmers.
As I often do, I wondered what the people of the time were like; what did they look like, what did they wear, their customs, and importantly, what did they eat? Meat pies and tarts, according to a British website, were popular fare at the time, for those who had more than porridge to subsist upon. I’ve always been partial to meat pies, and with fall here (finally) and winter not too far behind, these start appearing on the dinner table, along with soups and stews.
As the author J.R.R. Tolkien noted of his hobbits, meat pie eaters all, “one or two other hobbits belonging to the farm-household came in. In a short while, fourteen sat down to eat. There was beer aplenty and a mighty dish of mushrooms and bacon, beside much other solid farmhouse fare.” In what form they appear isn’t made clear back in those times, most likely as a tart or pie and ideal for a Hobbit to pack on their travels.
This tart is a modern take on the pies and tarts of the time and in its current form, is a great supper and packs into a picnic or lunchbox. It’s great served hot or at room temperature.” Because kids associate this tart with hobbits, they may like it, too.
Hobbit Leek, Bacon and Mushroom Tart
Cook Time: 40 minutes, Yield: 6 Servings
- Short crust pastry or commercial pie dough
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 large leek (thinly sliced)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup bacon, chopped
- 2 cups cleaned and chopped mushrooms
- 3-4 large eggs
- 6 ½ ounces of milk or cream
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 2-3 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Line a greased 9 ¾ inch tart tin or pie pan with dough and chill while making the filling. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the leeks, mushrooms and bacon and cook until soft. Remove and drain. Put the eggs into a large measuring cup, add the cooled leeks, bacon, mushrooms and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Fill the chilled pastry with the egg, bacon, leek and cheese mixture until it is two-thirds full. Do not overfill, as the filling puffs and rises during baking. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until top is golden brown and egg is set. If pastry is browning too quickly before the egg is set, lay a sheet of foil over the top to prevent burning.
Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
About the Writer:
Rebecca Jackson is a veteran newspaper person/journalist based in Bedford County, VA. A native of California and an M.A. graduate of Arizona State University, she has a passion for pets (animals), good food/cooking, music, wine, horticulture, photography and travel.
