You will need.........
For the pastry:
500g. Plain Flour.
125g. Butter.
125g. Lard, chilled and diced.
A little Milk to mix in.
For the filling:
200g. Swede, peeled and cut into chunks.
200g. Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
250ml. beef stock. (OXO cube in warm water).
100g. Garden Peas.
500g. lean minced beef OR cubed frying steak.
1 Large Onion.
Some shredded carrots.
Vegeatable oil for frying the meat and onion.
Mixed Herbs for flavouring.
Salt and Pepper.
The amounts, and ingredients, needed will vary according to your taste.
A beaten Egg for sealing and for the Glaze.
Method:
Cook all vegetables separately in salted boiling water until they are tender but not soft. Drain off the water and set these to one side and leave to cool. There is no need to cook the Shredded Carrots, but do so if you prefer them sliced.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook the onions and meat together until the onions are soft and the meat is browned through.
Add the beef stock and herbs to the meat and onions and cook until the beef stock is almost reduced but the mixture is still moist. Set aside to cool.
When cooled, add all the vegetables and mix well in a bowl. Add in also the Salt and plenty of Pepper.
To Make the Pastry: mix the salt and flour together, rub in the Butter and the Lard until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the milk slowly, a bit at a time, to form a smooth dough.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm, and then cut out 5 circles around a plate about 18cm. in diameter.
Share the filling out across the diameter of the circles then brush the outside of the pastry circles with the beaten egg. Bring up the edges over the filling and crimp and seal as in the photo. Brush the beaten egg all over the pasties as a glaze. Put a nick in the top of the pasty to let out the steam when cooking.
Cook the Pasties in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes on Gas 6 or or 200degreesC; then cook for a further 20 minutes on Gas 4 or 180dgreesC, until golden brown.
If you want to freeze these pasties then freeze them "raw", do not cook them. Defrost thoroughly from the freezer before cooking!
I love hot and peppery Cornish Pasties served with gravy and peas,
or on their own as a snack. These can be frozen too in an airtight bag.
Follow the instructions carefully for a sumptuous snack or meal. Makes 5 pasties.
