When I was a kid, I visited Cornwall with family, and even though it wasn’t my first time having a Cornish pasty, this was the most memorable. The pasty that I had was huge, and its flavour was better than almost anything I had ever eaten.
I do love a good pastry; it gives the feeling of comfort food and boosts my mood. I have tried cheap and expensive Cornish pasties from the supermarket, and most of them are dry and disappointing especially considering that making your own is not too difficult. The ingredients are simple. I love homemade Cornish pasties with a bit of mustard or ketchup on the side, and it always goes down well with a salad.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Plain flour (400g)
- Chilled butter (200g)
- Water (80ml)
- Minced beef (100g)
- Onion (1)
- Potato (1)
- Carrot (1)
- Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 - Combine flour and butter in a bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add water, then knead the dough until soft. Transfer the dough to the worktop and roll it into a disc that is about 20cm in diameter and the thickness of a coin
Combine the minced beef, carrot, onion, and potato in another bowl, then season the mixture. Place the mixture on the pastry slightly off centre, then fold the dough in half over the filling, creating a semi-circle. Press the edges together to seal the pasty and crimp the pastry by folding the edge over itself. Pierce a small hole on top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape. If you want the pastry to look like the ones you see in the supermarket, you will need to do an egg wash over the pastry but feel free to skip this step—Cook in the oven on a baking tray for 45 minutes when golden brown.
