Description
Deliciously simple – an old tradition for a reason.
Ingredients
Pastry
460 g cake flour
pinch salt
240 g butter
30 ml water
1 egg, whisked with a fork to use as an wash
Filling
60 ml butter
4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil
460 g beef chuck cut into small cubes
flour, for dusting
1 large onion, cubed
2 sprigs thyme
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
200 ml good-quality beef stock
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
2 turnips, cut into small cubes
1 potato, cut into small cubes
1–2 Tbsp (Worcestershire sauce
10 ml flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Pastry
Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl or on to a tabletop. Make a large well in the centre and grate in the butter. Rub in the butter and then add the water and stir until absorbed. Knead the pastry until smooth and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
Filling
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a frying pan. Toss the beef cubes in the flour and brown in the heated pan. When browned, remove and set aside.
Turn the heat down and add the onion and thyme to the frying pan and season. Allow to sauté at a low temperature until soft.
When the onion has softened, add enough stock to moisten and bring to a simmer, making sure that the mixture is not too thick. Add the carrots, turnips and potato. Bring back to a simmer and cook until the veggies are cooked through. Adjust the seasoning and mix in the Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley and allow to cool before use.
To Make The Pasties
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Roll the pastry out to about 4 mm–5 mm thick and cut into 6 rounds of 15 cm.
Spoon the filling onto one half of a pastry round keeping it about 5 mm from the edge of the pastry circle. Dampen the edge with water. Fold the pastry round over the filling and bring the edges of the pastry together to form a half moon shaped parcel.
Support the pastry with your left hand and, using your forefinger and thumb, turn the edge over and at the same time twist it, crimping it together so that it resembles a rope.
Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds.
Place on a baking tray with the crimped edge facing the top. Brush with milk or egg wash and make a small hole in the top each pastie to release the steam. Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 180 °C and bake for another 15 minutes.
*Pasties can be frozen uncooked, then defrosted and baked when required.