Cornish Pasties with BeefCornish Pasties with Beef

Isn’t is interesting how one innocent word can evolve over time into something totally different and not so innocent? Or how about pronunciations:  two words, spelled the same, but pronounced differently can be the difference between a tasty meat filled pie and a stripper’s last spot of clothing.  When I make Cornish Pasties, I always have to pause a moment and think about which is which before I announce what we are having for dinner.

Herbed Meat PiesHerbed Meat Pies

One time, I accidentally said the wrong word and then corrected myself.  My eldest son, ever one to catch silly nuances asked me what I’d said.   I told him that there were two pronunciations to the word I’d said and two meanings and if he was so interested in knowing what I had just said, he had to look it up in the dictionary.    I made him sound out the word and figure out how it was spelled all by himself.  After many minutes, when he finally found the word, he read the definitions out loud.  It was hysterical as I watched his brain process what he was reading.  He slammed the dictionary shut and kept saying “Ew, Moooommmmm!”    Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be too nosy.

When making these pasties (pronounced like past), don’t play with the crust too much or it will get tough.  Put in plenty of filling and serve the finished product with a dipping sauce of some sort: gravy, ketchup, ranch dressing, etc.   These are a great way to use up leftovers in a way that totally disguises the fact that you are serving leftovers.

I am still working on a gluten free version.

Herbed Cornish Pasties

Author: 

 

  • Dough:
  • 2 cups flour
  • ⅔ cup shortening
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 5-6 Tbsp cold water
  • Filling:
  • 2 cups cubed boneless beef or pork roast, loin, chops or whatever you have
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can Veg-All mixed vegetables (or leftover cooked carrots, onions, potatoes)
  1. Combine dry ingredients.
  2. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles wet sand.
  3. Add water, a little at a time, stirring with a fork until it is sticky enough to form a ball.
  4. Divide into 6 little balls to be rolled out to ¼ inch to form pasties.
  5. For filling: Cook (brown)beef or pork in oil.
  6. Remove meat from pan and add flour to pan drippings.
  7. Add a little of the water, stirring up all of the fond left in the pan.
  8. Add the rest of the water, stir and cook to form a gravy.
  9. Add the vegetables and meat to pan and then salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Place about ⅓ cup (or more if it fits) of mixture on half of rolled out circles.
  11. Fold over dough and seal with fork along the edge.
  12. Repeat for all.
  13. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees.

You can use leftover cooked meat and either make the gravy or use leftover gravy, too. If making the gravy, use broth instead of water

3.2.2089

Cornish Pasties with herb crust and beef fillingCornish Pasties with herb crust and beef filling



Optimized Ad