Cornish Pasties

I used to eat pasties like this when I was a little girl! For some reason I never thought about making my own. But today was the day I went ahead and fulfilled this inner craving. The dough is and will always be my favorite part. This is were most of the love should go since this is what sets them apart!

Prep : 40 mins /Rest : 60 mins /Cook : 30 mins/ Total : 2h 10 mins

Servings : 4 large or 8 small pasties

Ingredients

For the pastry:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable shortening or suet
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp margarine or butter
2/3 cup cold water
1 egg, beaten with a little salt and 1 tbsp water (for glazing)

For the filling:

Slow Cooked Beef
2-3 large yellow potatoes
1/4m red onion, chopped
salt and lemon pepper to taste
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp of butter or margarine

Instructions

The Dough:

Add the flour into the bowl and add the shortening, a pinch of salt, the margarine or butter and all of the water.
Use a spoon to gently combine the ingredients. Then use your hands to crush everything together, bringing the ingredients together as a fairly dry dough.
Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface (there’s no need to put flour or oil onto the surface because it’s a tight rather than sticky dough).
Knead the dough to combine the ingredients properly. Roll it back up into a ball, then turn it, stretch and roll it up again. Repeat this process for about 5-6 minutes. The dough will start to become smooth as the shortening breaks down. If the dough feels grainy, keep working it until it’s smooth and glossy. Don’t be afraid to be rough – you’ll need to use lots of pressure. Think of it as a mini workout!
When the dough is smooth, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for 30–60 minutes.

The Filling:

While the dough is resting, peel and cut the potato and boil them until soft.
Put beef, red onions, potatoes and spices into a bowl and mix., then put the filling to one side until the dough is ready.

Assembling:

Line with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).
Preheat the oven to 325 deg.
Once the dough has had time to relax, take it out of the fridge. The margarine or butter will have chilled, giving you a tight dough. Divide the dough into equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a disc (roughly the same size as a dinner plate).
Add a quarter of the filling onto each piece of dough. Spread the filling on one half of the piece of dough, leaving the other half clear. Put a 1 tbs of butter or margarine on top of the filling.
Carefully fold the pastry over, join the edges and push with your fingers to seal using a fork seal the edges.
Put the pasties onto the baking tray and brush the top of each pasty with the egg, water and salt mixture. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45 minutes or until the pasties are golden-brown.

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