Thursday, July 22, 2010

Cornish Pasties




Rose Mofford grew up enjoying them and now there is a small, local restaurant near ASU serving a large variety of Cornish Pasties. The walls are covered with historic photos of miners. Great history and food. My friend, Carol Vie, and I enjoyed them with a light Belgium beer.

Try making them at home using Rose Mofford's family recipe or get creative with additional ingredients.

Cornish Pasties page 133 Tastes & Treasures

Pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
1 cup beef suet, finely chopped
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling and Assembly
2 pounds round steak or other lean beef, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 or 3 small onions, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
butter

For the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the suet and toss with a fork until combined. Add just enough of the ice water to make the dough adhere and mix well. Knead lightly and shape the pastry into a ball. Chill, covered , for 1 hour.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the steak, potatoes, onions, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pat the pastry on a lightly floured surface into ¼ inch thick rounds 8 or 9 inches in diameter. Press on the pastry to flatten pieces of the suet. Spoon ¼ to ½ cup of the filling onto half of each dough round and dot with butter. Moisten the edge with water and fold over to enclose the filling. Press the edge with your fingers or a fork to seal. Arrange the pasties on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.
Makes 8 pasties