Traditional Cornish Beef Pasty
Ingredients
Pastry
- 600g plain flour
- 150g cold butter diced
- 150g cold lard diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 250ml cold water plus a little extra if needed
- 1 beaten egg (to glaze)
Filling
- 500g skirt steak finely diced
- 1 medium onion finely sliced
- 180-200g thinly sliced potatoes
- 180-200g thinly sliced swede
- Generous salt and pepper
- 6 knobs butter
Preparation
Put the flour, butter, lard, and salt in a mixing bowl and semi-rub in the fat, leaving some larger lumps. Make a well, add the water, use a butter knife to bring it together, and press gently into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Divide the pastry into six balls. Flour the kitchen surface and rolling pin, then roll out one ball to a size that fits a 12-15cm plate. Use any off-cuts for patching if necessary.
Lay half the pastry disc over the rolling pin. The front half is for the filling. Make a light indentation 2cm from the edge as a filling border.
Place a thin layer of steak, swede, potato, and onion and season generously. Repeat with a second thin layer of steak, swede, potato, and onion, season again, and finish with a little steak, seasoning, and a knob of butter.
Pat water on the pastry edge, lift the back piece of pastry over the filling to make a lid, gently bring them together, and then crimp.
Start at the top. Place your thumb on the top piece and index finger underneath, with a firm movement twist the pastry up and back toward you and down, twisting the top and bottom together to the end. Repeat for the other pasties.
Place the pasties on a floured baking tray. Brush with egg and then stab a small hole in the tops. Bake at 215 degrees C Fan for 20 minutes, then reduce to 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the pasties to rest in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve.
