You could top this with puff pastry, fried potatoes or just buttered breadcrumbs.

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 6 cups challah (egg bread) cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1/3cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 125 g (4 oz) thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 4 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery root
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 kg (2 lbs) ground pork
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cup beef or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp quick cooking oats
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cubed bread and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in parsley and chili flakes and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Return same skillet to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until fat has rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 min. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes, or until soft. Add carrot, celery root and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 6 more minutes. Spoon to a bowl and reserve.

Add 1 tbsp oil to same skillet and increase heat to high. Crumble in pork and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until no pink remains, about 5 minutes.

Add spices and cook for 2 minutes, or until very fragrant. Add vegetable mixture to meat. Stir in stock and oats and cook for 5 more minutes, or until mixture is thickened but still juicy. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Place 1/2 of mixture in baking dish. Cover with sliced hard-boiled eggs and top with remaining mixture. Top with bread cubes, patting them into a single layer if possible.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bread is crisp and filling is bubbling.

Suggested Wine Pairings

Several options. First up: A pale ale with a pinch of hoppy bitterness will tighten up this fatty dish like a flatteringly worn belt on a bulky dress. A good cider, ideally from Quebec, harnesses the natural affinity between pork and apples while delivering zippy acidity to burn the fat and build a bridge to the salad’s vinaigrette. But I’m fond of a third option, because I like any excuse to tuck into a crisp, light, peppery, cheerful Beaujolais (or Canadian gamay – same grape). In fairness, many other hearty reds could work as well, including Côtes du Rhône. Just keep the acid high. - Beppi Crosariol