Cornish Pasties

How to make Cornish Pasties Recipe - An everyday classic, these Cornish pasties feature a traditional pasty recipe for the pastry, but if you don’t want to use lard, simply substitute it for butter or baking margarine. I even enlisted the help of someone from Cornwall to advise me on what vegetables to include. This is the outcome. If it’s got any other ingredients, then it’s not a proper pasty or so I am told!

MAKES 4 LARGE DINNER-SIZE PASTIES

PASTRY:
125g butter, chilled and diced
125g lard, diced
good pinch of salt
500g standard plain flour
5 tbsp cold water

FILLING:
450g skirt or chuck steak, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
200g swede, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

GLAZE:
1 egg, beaten

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, rub the butter, lard and salt into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the cold water to make a firm dough. Knead for 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Cut into four equal pieces, mould each into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Mix together the filling ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface until large enough to make a 23cm-diameter circle – use a large dinner plate to trim it to shape.

Firmly pack a quarter of the filling in the centre of each circle. Brush the pasty all the way round the edge with beaten egg. Carefully draw up opposite sides so that they meet at the top, then pinch and crimp them together to seal. Lift the pasties onto a nonstick baking tray and brush with the remaining egg to glaze.

Bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 180°C and bake for a further 45 minutes until golden. Great served warm with tomato sauce.

Cornish Pasties