CORNISH PASTY

This is for all you pasty lovers out there!

I love a good pasty.  I have such fond memories of my husband taking me on road trips to different bakeries he knew so we could hunt down the best pasties.  The thing about a pasty is that it traditionally has beef, potatoes, swede and onion, it is heavy on the black pepper and the pastry is buttery and short. End of story!

Before you rush out to the store to buy the pastry, I highly recommend you give it a go.  It takes only a few minutes to prepare and the end results are sublime.

Makes 6

Skill: medium

Prep: 30 minutes

Cooking: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

450g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

125g butter, diced

2 egg yolks

125ml cold water

Filling

300g beef skirt, finely diced

450g potato, peeled, finely diced 

150g swede, peeled, finely diced

150g onion, peeled finely diced

2 tsp black pepper, finely ground

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp flour

40g butter, diced

Egg yolk for glazing

Method

Begin by making the pastry: Place the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of your food processor.  Blend to mix.

Add the butter and mix briefly to blend.

Add the egg yolks and blend to combine.

With the food processor running, gradually add the water until you see the dough turn into a ball.  You may not need all the water!

Feel the dough with your hands and if it holds together easily then it is ready.

Turn out onto your board and bring the dough together.  Try not to overwork it.

Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven 180C

To make the filling: Place the meat and vegetables into a large bowl, season with the pepper and salt and sprinkle over the flour.  Massage all the ingredients together (I used my hands).

Roll the pastry on a lightly floured bench so it is around 2mm thick.  Using 10-12cm round side plate as your template, cut out 6 rounds of pastry.

Divide the mixture up into 6 and place 1 portion onto half of a pastry circle, allowing a space around the edge.

Dot with butter.

Brush lightly with egg, then fold the pastry over the filling and seal firmly.

Starting at one side, crimp the edges by overlapping the pastry so you get a D-shaped pasty.

Brush the pasties with the egg and piece a hole in the top with the tip of a knife.

Bake in preheated oven and cook for 45-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp and the filling cooked through.

Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before eating.