Snacks and Light Meals Recipes - Cornish Pasties Recipe

  
 

Snacks and Light Meals Recipes - Cornish Pasties Recipe

Ingredients

Serve 8

Pastry:

  • 500 g/1 lb plain flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 125 g/4 oz butter

  • 125 g/4 oz hard white fat

  • 150 ml/1/4 pint cold water

  • beaten egg, to glaze  

Filling:

  • 500 g/1 lb braising steak, trimmed and cut into thin strips 250 g/8 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into thin flakes

  • 175 g/6 oz swede, peeled and cut into thin flakes

  • 2 onions, finely chopped

  • 25 g/1 oz butter, cut into 8 equal pieces

  • salt and pepper

To garnish:

  • lettuce leaves

  • tomato wedges

Method:

  1. To make the pastry, sift the flour with the salt into a mixing bowl, add the butter and fat and rub in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

  2. Add the measured water and mix to form a soft dough. Knead gently until free from cracks. Wrap and chill while preparing the filling.

  3. Put the meat, potatoes, swede and onions into a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Stir to mix.

  4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut out eight 18 cm/7 inch rounds, using a plate as a guide, and re-rolling the trimmings as required.

  5. Spoon equal portions of the filling on to the centre of each pastry round. Place a piece of butter on each portion of filling, dampen the pastry edges and draw up both sides to meet on top of the filling, taking care not to stretch the pastry.

  6. Seal the edges firmly and form a 1 cm/1/2 inch high edge on top of each pasty. Crimp the edge decoratively with the fingertips, folding and tucking the edge under to give a 'rope' effect down the length of each pasty. Place the pasties on a lightly greased baking sheet.

  7. Make a small hole at the side of each join and brush each pastry with beaten egg. Place in a preheated oven, 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5, and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and cooked through. (Cover with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning.)

  8. To test if the vegetables are tender, insert a fine metal skewer or wooden cocktail stick into the hole in each pasty. Serve hot or cold, garnished with lettuce and tomato.