Definitely NOT A Cornish Pasty

Disclaimer: This may look like a Cornish Pasty, it may even taste like a Cornish Pasty, but it is definitely NOT a Cornish Pasty... I think! I say this because, a) it's my own recipe, and I am not Cornish, b) it was made in my kitchen in Chesterfield, and therefore under the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status it cannot claim to be a Cornish Pasty, and most importantly c) my partner and in-laws are from Devon, and due to the Devon/Cornwall rivalry, I fear I would be disowned for making something 'Cornish'. I have even had to change the way I eat my scones... 

So this is my Northern, hybrid, slightly less than proper way of making a C*****h Pasty. From here on in we will refer to it simply as 'pasty'. 

Ingredients - makes 6 - 8 medium sized pasties. 

For the pastry

- 225 grams strong white flour

- 225 grams plain flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon sea salt

- 125 grams butter

- 2 free range egg yolks

- 100 ml cold water

- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze the finished pasties

For the filling

- 300g rump steak

- 1 small onion

- 1 small swede

- 2 large potatoes

This is the 'totally-by-hand' method to make the pastry, although if you are blessed with a food processor you can use it to mix up the pastry also. Start by sifting the flours, salt and baking powder together, and mix well. Cube the butter, and rub into the flour to create a breadcrumb like texture. Add the eggs yolks, and mix through using a fork until well combined. Now, add a third of the water, and mix through using the fork, repeat with another third of the water. A dough should now be forming, slowly add a little more of the water until the dough comes together into one piece. Knead the dough briefly so that it holds together, then roll up into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour. 

Meanwhile, chop the onions, potatoes, swede and beef. Ideally, all the ingredients should be in equal sized pieces. Put a little oil in a frying pan, and shallow fry the onions until soft. Add the swede and potato and flash fry for just a minute, and then take off the heat and set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to around 170 degrees Once the pastry has chilled, remove it from the cling film, and roll it out to about 3 - 5 mm thick. Using a dinner plate or similar, cut out circles from the pastry. I used the inside of an 8 inch tart tin, to make some smaller sized pasties, it depends how big you want them to be. Bring the offcuts back together and roll out again to cut out more circles. Try to avoid doing this too many times, as you don't want to overwork the pastry. 

Now, add the vegetables to the beef, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Now, to make the pasties, divide the filling evenly between the pastry circles. Take the beaten egg, and brush around the edge of half the circle. Fold the pastry in half, and press the edges together. 

Starting from the left hand side, twist over a small amount of the pastry edge, pressing it back into itself. Holding the fold in place, move along the edge, and repeat the action, creating a crimped edge. Continue all the way around the pasty, when you get to the other end, tuck the final piece of pastry under itself to finish the edge. 

Place the crimped pasties on a lightly greased baking tray, and brush all over with the remaining egg wash. Bake for approximately 30 - 40 minutes, depending on their size. When they are cooked, they should be a deep golden brown all over, and make a hollow sound when tapped.They should also be firm on the base. If needed, for the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove them from the baking tray, and place back onto the oven shelf to allow the heat to get directly to the base. We don't want any soggy bottoms!

Once golden all over, remove from the oven, and place on a cooling rack. Serve hot or cold, for lunch, tea or dinner, or as a mid afternoon snack. Pasties will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge, and can be reheated. 

The classic Cornish pasty is made from potato, swede, beef and onion, however, as these are not Cornish, you could also use carrots, sweet potatoes, any ingredient really, and are a great way to use up leftovers. Which is of course, what the Cornish pasty was originally used for. As these are made from cheap and ready ingredients, I am entering them into this month's Credit Crunch Munch, run by Camilla at Fab Food 4 All, and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours. 

This month's Credit Crunch Munch is a blog hop... here are some of the other entries.