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Pasties

From Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Guardian.co.uk. Makes six.

For the rough puff pastry
250g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
550g plain flour
A good pinch of salt
240-300ml iced water
For the filling
500g flank steak, cut into 2cm pieces
180g swede, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 large potato, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Fine sea salt and black pepper
6 tbsp double cream
A little egg and milk for glazing

Toss the butter in flour and salt, then add enough water to bring it together into a fairly firm dough. Form into a rectangle, and on a well-floured surface roll out away from you so you have a 1cm-thick rectangle. Fold the two short ends into the middle, give the pastry a quarter turn, and repeat the rolling out five times. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

Mix all the filling ingredients bar the cream in a bowl. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 4mm. Using a small plate as a template, cut into 20cm circles. Spoon some filling on to one half of each circle, trickle over a tablespoon of cream, brush the edges with milk, and fold the pastry over the top to form a half-moon. Crimp to seal. Pop on to a tray and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Brush with egg wash, then bake. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 170C/325F/gas mark 3 and cook for 50 minutes more. If the pasties start looking a bit brown, lower the heat more. Leave to cool slightly before eating.

CORNISH PASTY

From http://www.cornwallinformation.com/cornwallinformation/info/cornish-recipes.php#CornishPasty

A home-baked Cornish pasty is never, ever eaten with a knife and fork, although a plate is admissible; is never, ever eaten with vegetables (or, worse still, chips or brown sauce); and never, ever contains diced ingredients - always sliced.

The Cornishman, it is said, can recognise the genuine article at 50 paces with his nose. The method of the Cornishwoman is more subtle: one glance at the crimping will establish authenticity. To quote the Cornwall Federation of Women’s Institutes’ definitive recipe book: “Crimp by pinching the pastry with the left hand and fold over with right hand, forming a rope-like effect on the side of the pastry”.

120g shortcrust pastry
1 onion,
1 turnip
1 medium sized potato (all sliced around 1/2 an inch across)
100 - 120g meat (skirt or best chuck steak, not stewing beef), chopped
Salt and pepper

Roll pastry into a round. The filling ingredients should be sliced in layers with the meat on top. Season with salt and pepper. Moisten the edges of the pastry with milk or water. Fold over and crimp the edges (crimp by pinching the pastry with the left hand and fold over with right hand, forming a rope-like effect on the side of the pastry). Place on a baking sheet and bake at 220C for 10 - 15 mins, reducing to 180C for a further 30 mins.

Variation

Add around 40-50g of grated Cornish Yarg (a cheese exclusive to Cornwall, rolled in stinging nettles) into the filling. This is a more Cornish alternative to the popular "steak-and-stilton" pasty.