CHICKEN CORNISH PASTIES
Pastry
250 g butter
300 ml hot water
500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
1 large free-range egg, beaten
1 handful polenta
Chicken filling
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cut into 2cm cubes
½ small butternut squash, (approximately 250g) peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
6 sprigs fresh sage or thyme, leaves picked and chopped
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt
freshly ground black pepper
300 ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon flour
Preheat the oven to 180°C Bring your butter and water to the boil in a large pan, then take the pan off the heat. Stir the flour and salt into the mixture bit by bit with a spatula, until you’ve got a dough. Tip it on to a floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a smooth ball. Put the ball of dough into a floured bowl, dust the top with flour, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 mins.
In a large pan fry your chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the diced chicken and fry for 5 minutes until brown, then add the rest of the chopped vegetables and herbs. Fry for another 5 minutes, then add nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper, pour in the chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the flour and simmer on a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the stock has cooked away and you’re left with nice thick gravy.
On a floured surface divide your pastry dough in half and roll each half out until it’s slightly thinner than 0.5cm. Use a cereal bowl (about 15cm in diameter) to cut 4 circles out of each half, so you end up with 8 circles. You may need to cut out 2 or 3 circles from each half first, then re-roll the remaining pastry to make the rest. Dust the circles with flour, and spoon your filling into the middle of each one. Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg, then fold each circle in half over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork or your finger and thumb to seal them.
Line a baking trays with greaseproof paper, scatter a handful of polenta over the paper, and place your pasties on top. Brush the pasties all over with more of the beaten egg and sprinkle over a little more polenta Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Photo: Gail Haselsteiner
