Pasties are Comfort Food

After a day on the boat in upper Michigan, we needed comfort food. Mary Nomenilli brought authentic Finnish pasties from Houghton, Michigan.

Historymaker Rose Mofford told us her family tradition of serving Cornish Pasties in Globe, Arizona. Along with her food memories, we printed the recipe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook on page 133.

Cornish Pasties

Ingredients for 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 Ingredients:
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

Directions 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.

Directions 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

Gov. Rose Mofford's Cornish Pasties in Leslie's cooking class

Summer and pie go together. Homemade pie calls for a flaky and tender crust that holds a perfect sweet or savory filling. The delectable Cornish Pasty—a meat-filled pastry that was a favorite of former Governor Rose Mofford—will be demonstrated along with a refreshing Lemon Meringue Pie at Desert Botanical Gardens cooking class July 15, 2012. You will learn how to make its delicious and tangy lemon curd filling and the secret to a fluffy meringue that will not weep or slide off the pie.

Leslie Christiansen, League member and Culinary Instructor, will be conducting this cooking demonstration Sunday, July 15th from 1:00-3:00PM.

Members: $50 General: $62

Sign up at http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses
Click on Education classes Scroll down to July 15 2012 summer pies
or Phone 480-481-8188.

Cornish Pasties from Governor Rose Mofford

The first female governor of Arizona was Historymaker Rose Mofford in 1988. Growing up in Globe, she came from a mining community and gave us the family recipe for Cornish Pasties for Tastes & Treasures cookbook. On her 90th birthday, celebrations are in order:

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton designated June 10 “Rose Mofford Day” and renamed a section of 17th Avenue leading to the Capitol “Rose Mofford Way.”
“In our centennial year, as a native son of Arizona, 90 of those years were blessed by Rose Mofford’s leadership,” said a beaming Art Hamilton, former Arizona House minority leader.
Secretary of State Ken Bennett was a co-master of ceremonies with Hamilton for the birthday celebration. A letter of congratulations from President Barack Obama was read aloud. State historian Marshall Trimble sang a song.

When handed the microphone, Mofford noted that she had driven the section of 17th Avenue renamed for her about 51,000 times in her 51 years of state service.
“Little did I think that I would have to drive down Rose Mofford’s Way to get to Wes Bolin’s Plaza,” Mofford quipped.
“I have some breaking news,” she continued. “I am the richest person in the world.”

Cornish Pasties page 133 Taste & Treasures
Pastry Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

1 cup beef suet, finely chopped

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling Ingredients:
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

Governors Luncheon Salad

Wonderful presentation for salad with the thinly sliced cucumber wrapped around the salad greens. Accompanied by tender grilled chicken breast, it was a lovely luncheon for the "Conversation with Arizona's Woman Governors." A great dressing for this salad is found on page 21 Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Strawberry Vinaigrette brings a fresh, summer taste to a traditional salad. Desert followed with a nutty crumb crust on the cheesecake. Very nice.

Governor Rose Mofford received several standing ovations. Rose is considered the perfect Governor to mend fences and move forward. She was the first woman governor in the U.S.A. Rose was joined in the conversation by Governors Jane Hull and Jan Brewer. Janet Napolitano spoke via satellite.

Culturekeepers Award goes to Reba Wells Grandrud

It is no surprise that Historical League member Reba Wells Grandrud will be honored this year for making a positive impact on the state's history. Arizona Culturekeepers are a varied group and they all support the state's culture, environment, history or economy. Reba is a past National Register of Historic Places co-ordinator and has taken an active role in researching, preserving, teaching and publishing state, local and regional history in Arizona and New Mexico.

She will be in good company with former Governor Rose Mofford, theater owner Dan Harkins, historian Frank Barrios, cowboy artist Bill Owen, the Scottsdale Charros, historian Aaron Cohen, performer and songwriter Sue Harris, Tohono O'odham basket weaver Annie Antone and cultural preservationist Roxanne Knight.

The inductees will be honored at noon on September 19 at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. $45 per person. Proceeds benefit the Arizona Historical Society and Sharlott Hall Museum in Prescott.

For more information 480-624-1356 or RSVP info@kierlandresort.com

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

Cookbook ten minute Presentation at Private Event

Marlyse Brock invited me to speak at her Rotary Club meeting in May and it was a lot of fun to meet new people and explain the history of Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. They chuckled when I told them, "It took 2 years to write, just like the birth of an elephant".

Gene Urban from Realty Execs www.urbanteamaz.com called in June and asked me if I was interested in speaking at his weekly meeting. Carolyn Mendoza offered her assistance and we brought our books and props. The folding banner was a great visual aid and Carolyn made granola from pg 196 of the cookbook to sample. (They thought this was delicious). I mentioned the Sandra Day O'Connor house now being rebuilt at our Museum and they had questions about that. We had photos of Rose Mofford and Polly Rosenbaum which also elicited questions. I even brought a copy of the League's first cookbook Arizona's Cooking Heritage with the Victorian Lady holding 2 gila monsters recipe for 'Saute de Gila Monster'. (No it does not taste like chicken).

Turns out Realtors are a great audience and loved the book. It is a perfect client gift for their business as well as great gift for Father's Day, Graduations, Weddings, Birthdays, Hostess gift... So Carolyn and I left after selling 65 cookbooks. We look forward to many more presentations like this one.