Cornish Pasties – The Recipe

For the pastry
400g plain flour
200g lard or vegetable fat, chilled and cubed
Milk or beaten egg, to glaze

For the filling
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
150g swede, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
450g chuck steak, cut into 1cm cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
Freshly ground white pepper

Place flour and salt in a bowl, rub in the fat, until the mixture is so fine that it falls through the fingers. Tip mixture onto a lightly floured table top. With your index finger make a well in the centre of the mixture. Add water a little at a time until it forms a pliable but stiff dough. knead gently to bring together then wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Divide the pastry into 4 equal pieces and roll each one out on a lightly floured work surface using short sharp strokes, always rolling in one direction. Give the pastry a quarter-turn, then roll it again to form a round of about 20cm in diameter and about ¼ inch thick. Cut into a circle using a plate as a guide.

Cut all the solid ingredients up into small pieces. The onion should be finely cut. They are not only easier to eat this way, but cook quicker too. Remember to get rid of any gristle or fat etc from the meat.

Mix the now chopped up potatoes, meat, water, onion and salt and pepper thoroughly (otherwise you may find that all the pepper seems to be concentrated into one spot!)

With the pastry laid out, use the ingredients to fill half of it in a bit of a pile – as it cooks it will flatten a bit, make sure though, that you leave about an inch clear pastry from the edge.

Dampen the exposed edge with water.

Carefully lift the empty half of the pastry over the top of the mixture. In effect, you are folding it in half.

Crimp the edges of a Cornish pasty.

• Press the edges of the pastry together to seal them as before.
• Now carefully turn the pasty so that the sealed edge is now along the top.
• Start at the left edge of the pasty, take hold between the left finger and thumb and turn it so it points along the line of the sealed edge.
  
• Now move your left finger and thumb over the bit you just turned. Place your right finger and thumb on the edge immediately adjacent to it and do what I would describe as a lift-turnover toward you.
  
• Repeat until you reach the end of the pasty. At this point turn the end inwards like you did previously.

With that all done, make a knife slit in the top to allow air to escape whilst cooking – this helps to keep the pasty crisp and stops it being too soggy.

Brush the whole thing with beaten egg/milk if you want a glaze, but you don't have to.

Place the pasty on a baking tray and cook in a hot oven (about 450F) until the pastry is pale brown at which point reduce the temperature to around 350-370F for about 40 minutes. It is important to get it right as crunchy and chewy ingredients just doesn't make for a good pasty!

Enjoy it and make sure you fly the flag for a genuine Cornish pasty!

Of course you could freeze the uncooked pasties on a tray and place in an airtight container in the freezer until required. Thaw completely and cook as above

Hoppin' John

A recipe from Adventures in the 32-akre Wood, many thanks Janet which she copied from the can of Bush's Blackeye Peas.

Hoppin' John Over Rice (6-7 servings)
1 cup chopped onion
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup cooked ham
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 15 oz. cans blackeyed peas
1/2 to 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
3 cups cooked white rice
Optional: salsa, sour cream
1 cup = 8 0z (I think according to here, it is)

In a large skillet (or frying pan) cook onion, peppers and ham in oil for 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain blackeye peas, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Add peas, reserved liquid, and hot pepper sauce to ham mixture and stir. Spoon over rice. Top with salsa and/or sour cream, if desired, or serve it over cornbread.

Variations
For a vegetarian version substitute for the ham for sage, garlic, paprika, and black pepper. Guessing the measurements at a teaspoon of sage and maybe 1/2 tsp for the garlic and paprika, and black pepper as you see fit.

Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream

Curry - The Cornish Way

SOH provided me with his recipe for curry - thanks hon!!!

1 dessert spoon Hot Curry Powder
1 dessert spoon Mild Curry Powder
350g Chicken breasts - more if you like
Garlic to taste - 2-3 cloves is ample
2 Medium Onions - Chopped
3 Medium Carrots - Sliced
Sultanas (if you insist - I don't like them in the recipe but it is a personal touch)
100g Frozen Petis Pois
2 dessert spoons - Branston Chutney
2 Chicken or vegetable stock cubes made up in 3/4 pint of water
Large Apple (I use a braeburn, but Granny Smith would do)
Cornflour to thicken.

Cook (boil) the carrots in water until just soft, and keep to one side -just use enough water to cover the carrots.
Fry the onion until soft and when done put in a bowl to one side.
Do the same for the Garlic and chicken - keeping separate during this process.
Fry the curry powder in the same pan as used above, this helps to bring out the spices.
Add the stock and carrots (including the water), onion, garlic and chicken (sultana's if used) to the pan and bring to the boil then add the peas.
Bring back to the boil and for 5 mins afterwards before turning it down to simmer for 20 mins.
Add the cornflour to thicken.

Serve with any or all of the following : Long grain rice, Naan Bread, poppadums, mango chutney and onion bhaji's.

It will serve 4 people comfortably, but you could easily freeze half the curry though it does tend to get more spicy when it is left to mature in the freezer.

Adaptations to Elaine's recipe for Tinker's Casserole

Now this recipe for Tinker's Casserole comes from a great Cook, Elaine and I am sure that if you tried the original you wouldn't necessarily want to change it but as ever I tinker with things (sorry please excuse the pun)

Thanks to Elaine for publishing the original recipe for me to find and enjoy.

Tinker's Casserole

1lb chuck steak cut into 1” cubes
1 oz seasoned flour
4 oz bacon trimmings, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 pint light ale
2 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
4 oz sliced mushrooms


Toss steak in seasoned flour
Fry bacon in large pan without fat until golden
Add steak and fry quickly until golden
Add remaining ingredients except mushrooms and bring to boiling point

Turn into a 2 1/2 pint casserole and cook at 325F or 170C for 1 1/2 hours. Add mushrooms and cook for another 30 minutes

My adapatations are not huge, I used shin beef instead of braising steak but that is what I normally use for a beef casserole, and along with the beef I added some kidney for richness but that was my personal choice.

Cook as per Elaine's instructions, and if you want to turn it into a pie then let it cool before adding a shortcrust pastry top to it and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 30-35 mins or when the crust is golden brown.

Served with new potatoes and green beans/peas it makes a cool evening seem a little friendlier.

Savoury Crumble - the story so far

Recipe 1
6 oz (175g) wholewheat flour
2 oz (50g) grated Parmesan
1 oz (25g) wheatgerm
1/2 teasp mixed herbs
4 oz (110g) butter

Recipe 2
50g porridge or jumbo oats
50g 100 per cent wholemeal flour
25g hazelnuts, chopped
40g butter

Recipe 3
55g butter
115g flour
1 teaspoon English mustard powder
55g strong cheese grated
25g porridge oats

Recipe 4
60g butter, softened
120g wholemeal flour
1 tsp grain mustard
2 tsp Provencal herbs
75g strong cheddar cheese, grated
40g whole porridge oats

Recipe 5
75gms wholemeal flour
75gms plain flour
75gms butter
100 gms (4oz) mature cheddar, grated
2-3 tablespoons chopped chives

Recipe 6
55g butter
100g plain flour
1 tsp mustard powder
55g parmesan, grated
25g oats

For all recipes rub the butter/fat into the flour and then add the remaining ingredients.

My favourite so far is recipe 5 I love the mix of cheese and chives... and it goes well with vegetables, my second favourite is recipe 3.