I dont know about that love of fiery foods. The Scots have their own version of the pasty called a Forfar Bridie (recipe follows). Perhaps youregetting the two major infuences in Scottish cuisine confused. There is the peasant tradition which tends towards the simple (such as a Forfar Bride/pastie or smoored pullet which may be the origin of Southern fried chicken). Then because of the 700+ year alliance of Scotland and France, the nobility has a fancy cuisine with very strong French influence. Slice meat into very thin sliceds, slightly on the diagonal. Cut into pieces about one inch long. Mix the suet and onion. Roll out the pastry and cut into four or five inch circles. Arrange meat on all the circles. Sprinkle with the suet and onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Wet edges of pastry, fold over, and crimp together. Slit a hole in each pie. Bake in hot oven for about 30 minutes. Pastry: Sift flour into a bowl with salt. Cut in butter and lard (which should be cold) with pastry blender or two knives. Sprinkle water over all. Mix well with a fork until mixture sticks together. Press into a ball with your hands. Source: The Highlanders Cookbook by Sheila MacNiven Cameron (1966) It should be easy to add some chopped or powdered chilies to the suet-onion mixture to make this acceptable to a CH. Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST V3 #205 From: justme3@ix.netcom.com (Kevin Rhodes) Date: Wed, 8 Jan 1997 18:54:50 -0800