I remember Cornish Pasties from my childhood being really, really good things. They were one of the naughty things I was allowed to eat when we came over to England on holiday, along with scotch eggs and sausage rolls. But since moving here, they are no longer something that tempts me.
I think it's because of that rubbish "Cornish Pasty Shop" place that's popped up everywhere lately. One of the boys from work and I normally end up on the same train back home after a night of post-work revelry. And despite the fact that he spent most of his childhood in Cornwall, he still *insists* on going to this disastrous excuse of a fast-food counter at the end of a bender. A couple of times I've been desperate enough to participate - and always regret it. For three pounds, you too can buy a nasty, dry piece of pastry with some questionable chunks of cheap meat and a vegetable or two stuffed meagerly inside.
Real Cornish Pasties aren't like that. To remind myself of how good they once were, The Husband and I cooked up a batch of these little beauties. Using organic veg, a small amount of organic beef, and hand made pastry, we created some pasties that put the "Cornish Pasty Shop" to shame.
Traditional Cornish Pasties
- 8oz flour
- 4 oz butter
- iced water
- 3/4 lb stewing steak, cubed
- 2 large potatoes, cubed
- 1 turnip or sweded, cubed
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- freshly ground salt and pepper
Place the flour with a pinch of a salt in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour. Use a very small amount of iced water to help mix the dough into a ball. Place the ball into the fridge and chill until ready to use.
Place the steak, potatoes, turnip and onion in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the pastry into 6 balls and, on a floured work surface, roll each out into a round. Sprinkle the round with flour, and place a mound of mixture on each.
Seal the pasties by damping the entire circumference of the pastry circle with water and the pull both sides of the pasty to meet the top. (I needed two people to complete this step - thank goodness for The Husband! He actually ended up rescuing me and doing all the shaping!)
Press together where the sides meet, and crimp the pastry all along the half moon shape. Apparently the wives of the tin miners made the pasties into this shape to fit into their lunch boxes!
Coat the pasties with flour on the worksurface, and place the pasty on a well greased baking tray.
Bake in the oven at 190° for 10-15 minutes, then turn the oven down to about 180°, and bake for another 45 minutes to allow the meat and veg to cook.
These are so easy to make, and delicious straight out of the oven! I might pack a few in a lunchbox the next time I go for an after work drinking session.
