CORNISH PIE
Pasty:
450 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
125 g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
125 ml cold water
Cornish pasty filling:
450 g potato, finely diced
150 g swede, finely diced
150 g onion, finely chopped
300 g beef skirt, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp plain flour
40 g butter
1 egg, beaten
To make the pastry: Place the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and egg yolks into a food processor and blitz until the mixture forms crumbs. Slowly add the water until a ball of pastry miraculously appears – you may not need all the water. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and leave it to chill in the fridge for an hour.
To prepare the Cornish pasty filling: Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Roll out the pastry to the thickness you like, but be careful not to tear it. Using a dinner plate as a template, cut out 6 discs of pastry.
Season the vegetables separately with salt and black pepper. Put the beef into a bowl and mix with the flour and some salt and pepper. Place some potatoes, swede, onions and beef on one half of the circle, leaving a gap round the edge. Dot with butter. Brush around the perimeter of the pastry circle with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the vegetables and meat and seal firmly. Starting at one side, crimp the edges over to form a sealed D-shaped pasty. Brush the whole pasty with beaten egg, then make a steam hole in the centre with a sharp knife.
Repeat to make the other pasties. Put the pasties in the oven and cook for 50 mins until they are crispy and golden and the filling is cooked through. Leave them to rest for 5-10 mins before eating.
