Cornish Pasty
3 Reviews
About the bake
True Cornish pasties are made with steak, potato and swede. We have made proper pasty pastry which uses strong flour to make them crisp and robust, but you can of course use ready made shortcrust for speed. Traditionally the pasties are folded onto their side and the pastry crimped and rolled to make a thick ‘handle’ for Cornish Tin miners to hold when eating their lunch. These can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight before re heating in a hot oven
Method
Step 1
Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the lard and margarine until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Step 2
Stir well then pour in the ice cold water, mixing with a knife until well mixed. If necessary add 1-2 tbsp extra water. Knead the mixture well, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes before using. (It is even better chilled overnight).
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4).
Step 4
Very, very finely chop the beef skirt, onions, potatoes and swede so that it is all finely diced into pieces about 1 cm (1/2in), then mix it together in a large bowl with the salt and black pepper.
Step 5
Divide the pastry into 8 balls. Roll out each one to a 12 cm circle. Place a little mixture in the centre of each. Brush one half of the edge of pastry with water then fold over the filling onto the other side and press down well to seal in the filling. Crimp the edge and repeat with the remaining pasties. Place on a baking tray.
Step 6
Brush the pasties with a little beaten egg to glaze then bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until the meat and vegetables are well cooked. Eat hot, or serve cold.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 125gMargarine (chilled)
- 125gLard (chilled)
- 500gAllinson's Strong white bread flour
- 150mlWater (ice cold)
- 1Egg(s) (free range) (a little beaten)
For the filling
- 650gSkirt of beef (very thinly sliced)
- 1Onion(s) (finely diced)
- 600gPotato(es) (peeled)
- 1Swede(s) (peeled)
- 0.5 tspSalt
- 2.5 tspBlack pepper (freshly ground)