Cornish Pasties 7643

I like Cornish pasties very much and here is a recipe I consider good, based on my experiences in England. It is from the Time-Life "Food of the World" series, "The Cooking of the British Isles". Personally, I prefer to mince-grind the filling ingredients using a coarse disk.

Victor

Cornish Pasty

1 tablespoon butter, softened

Preheat oven to 400¡F. Using a pasty brush, coat a large baking sheet with the 1 tablespoon of softened butter. Set aside.

Pastry 4 cups all-purpose flour 1-8 teaspoon salt 1 1-2 cups lard (3-4 pound), chilled and cut into 1-4-inch bits 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

In a large chilled bowl, combine the flour, salt and lard. Working quickly, rub the flour and fat together with your fingertips until they look like coarse meal. Pour in 8 tablespoons of iced water all at once, toss together, and gather the dough into a ball. If the dough crumbles, add up to 2 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the particles adhere. Dust the pastry with a little flour and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 1-4 inch thick. With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 6-inch rounds using a small plate or pot lid as a guide. Gather the scraps together into a ball, roll it out again, and cut into 6-inch rounds as before.

FILLING 1 cup coarsely chopped white or yellow turnips 2 cups finely diced lean boneless beef, preferably top round 1 cup coarsely chopped onions 2 cups finely diced potatoes 1 1-2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 egg, lightly beaten

With a large spoon, toss the turnips, beef, onions, potatoes, salt and pepper together. Place about 1-4 cup of the mixture in the centre of each pastry round. Moisten the edges of the rounds with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, then fold the rounds in half to enclose the filling completely. Press the seams together firmly and crimp them with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Place the pasties on the baking sheet, and cut two slits about 1 inch long in the top of each. Brush lightly with the beaten egg and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350¡F and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pasties are golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.