Homemade Cornish Pasty with Traditional Filling
Ingredients
Pastry
- 500g plain flour
- 125g cold butter
- 125g cold lard
- 1 tsp salt
- Cup of cold water
Filling
- 400g chuck or skirt steak
- 1 large onion
- 200g swede
- 200g potato
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
Making pastry
Put the flour, butter, lard and salt in a mixing bowl and lightly rub in the fat until there aren’t any large lumps.
Make a well and pour in half the water, use a butter knife to start combining the mixture.
Add the rest of the water and mix in, it should be wet enough to combine but if not just add a little more water, just enough to bring it together.
Rest the pastry in the fridge for 30 mins.
Assembling pasty
Divide pastry into four.
Flour the kitchen top and rolling pin.
Roll out a piece of the pastry big enough to cut round a medium dinner plate.
Place the pastry over the rolling pin, so the front half is flat on the kitchen top and the back is resting on the rolling pin.
Use a knife to make a light indentation 1 inch around the edge, that’s the filling border.
Place a thin layer of steak, then onion, swede and potato and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until you reach the top of the rolling pin, two layers usually does it, season again.
Pat a little cold water on the pastry edge, then fold the top over, press the edges together.
To crimp, start at the edge furthest from you. Place your thumb on the top of the pastry and your index finger underneath, with a firm movement twist the pastry up and back and press down, repeat until complete.
Repeat per pasty.
Place pasties on a floured baking tray, make a little hole and brush with beaten egg.
Bake at 240 degrees for 20 mins, then down to 200 for 30 mins.
Rest for 5 mins before serving.
