Pies and pasties are a bastion of English cooking, and are a favourite and traditional part of a vegetable and gravy meal in many areas of the country. They also represent good, wholesome, home cooking.
There are numerous regional and county variations, but this recipe is for Cornish pasties filled with the traditional meat and vegetables, but vegetarian varieties can be made, too, substituting the meat for more chunky foodstuffs that once grew in the garden. Cooked fish is another filling that could be used for non-meat eaters.
Once cooked, these moderately-sized pasties can be eaten warm as an evening meal with the traditional vegetables and gravy, or cold as a lunchtime treat – much better than a sandwich. This recipe should be enough for 10 pasties, which if not eaten after cooking, can be frozen when they have cooled. Potatoes can be used instead of turnips for a more traditional pasty.
Ingredients
250g (9oz) of minced (ground) beef
1kg (35oz) of shortcrust pastry
1/4 pint of gravy
1 egg
A little water
2 turnips
2 carrots
For vegetarian pasties, use half a small swede as a meat substitute and ¼ pint of white sauce as a gravy variation.
Method
Chop the minced beef, and wash, peel, and slice the turnips and carrots. Dice the vegetables into 5mm cubes, and add to the meat, mixing together. Put the chopped and mixed ingredients into a large bowl, and add gravy, which can be made using granules (if not using white sauce for vegetarian pasties, ensure the gravy granules are suitable for non-meat eaters). Mix all the dry ingredients with the gravy to bind them together.
Flour a work surface and roll out the pastry to a thickness of 5mm. Cut out circles approximately 16cms round, and then lay a strip of the meat, vegetable, and gravy filling across each one from outside edge to outside edge, passing through the centre.
Once all the pastry circles have been ‘filled’, brush a little water along the whole edge of each pasty round, and fold in half along the filling line, and pinch up into the traditional Cornish pasty shape. Pinch from end to end, until all the filling has been enclosed, and place onto a greased baking tray.
Slice shallow holes in the top of each pasty (traditional Cornish pasties have different slit arrangements denoting different fillings) to allow ventilation while cooking, and lightly brush with egg.
Place the baking tray full of pasties into a pre-heated oven at 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes, and then bake for a further 40 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit).
Take out of the oven once cooked, and turn out onto wire racks to cool. Enjoy hot or cold with vegetables and gravy, or baked beans. If the pasties are to be stored frozen, place them into the freezer the same day once they have cooled.
For a sweeter taste, even fruit fillings such as apple and raspberry, and strawberry and custard can be used to create an unusual dessert.