Meat mains
Cornish pasties
Pasties were loved by Cornish tin miners for being a complete, portable lunch requiring no plate or cutlery. They can be a little fiddly to get the hang of filling, but really are very easy and make the ultimate picnic meal.
Ingredients
- 450g shortcrust pastry
- 100g onions
- 200g potatoes
- 100g swede
- 450g pie beef, rump of chuck steak
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Chop the onions finely, slice the potato and swede and cut into small pieces. Remove any gristle from the meat and chop finely
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Step 2
Roll the pastry and cut into 4 discs, using side plates as markers for the shape. Chill.
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Step 3
Take the filling ingredients and place in layers on one half of the pastry circles, leaving room to seal the edges and seasoning to taste as you go. Brush the edges with beaten egg and fold over the top of the pastry and pinch to seal.
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Step 4
Cut a couple of holes in the top. You can mark initials on the pastry for fun and to cater for individual tastes. This is part of the Cornish tradition.
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Step 5
Brush the top with beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 180°C/Gas 4 for a further 40 minutes. Cover with foil if they're browning too much.
