Name: Cornish Beef Pasty
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: British Irish
Ingredients: 300 g Shortcrust Pastry, rolled into 2 large circles; 180 g Beef Chuck, finely diced; ½ cup Potato, finely diced; ⅓ cup Swede, finely diced; ⅓ cup Brown Onion, finely chopped; ½ tsp Salt; ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if possible; 2 tsp Butter, cut into small pieces; 1 Egg, beaten, for brushing

1 hr 5 mintotal

Prep 25 min · Cook 40 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

Add to your week

Ingredients

300 gShortcrust Pastryrolled into 2 large circles
180 gBeef Chuckfinely diced
½ cupPotatofinely diced
⅓ cupSwedefinely diced
⅓ cupBrown Onionfinely chopped
½ tspSalt
½ tspGround Black Pepperfreshly ground if possible
2 tspButtercut into small pieces
1Eggbeaten, for brushing

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Oven.

No inactive time is built in, though chilling the crimped pasties for 15 minutes before they go in helps the sealed edge keep its shape.

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray.
Mix the diced beef, potato, swede, onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Place half the filling on one side of each pastry circle, leaving a clean border for sealing.
Dot the filling with small pieces of butter to keep it moist as it bakes.
Fold the pastry over the filling, press the edges together, and crimp firmly.
Brush with beaten egg and make a tiny steam hole on top of each pasty.
Bake until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through.
Rest for a few minutes before serving so the hot filling settles.

How to tell it's done

The pasty should have a firm golden crust and a moist, peppery beef-and-vegetable filling.

Getting it right

Tip

Dice the filling small and evenly; large pieces may stay firm after the pastry is baked.

What to serve it with

Serve warm with salad, peas, or a simple tomato relish.

Common mistakes

The pasty splits and leaks in the oven.: Leave a clean, dry border, press out the air, and crimp firmly. Filling smeared onto the sealing edge stops the pastry sticking, and trapped steam with nowhere to go pushes the seam open — which is what the little vent hole is for.
The beef and swede are still hard.: Dice everything small and evenly. A Cornish pasty is filled raw and cooks entirely inside the pastry, so a large chunk of chuck or swede will not be done by the time the crust is golden.

Substitutions

Use Boneless Mutton only as a local adaptation; the cooking time may need adjustment.
Use Turnip if Swede is unavailable, though the flavour will be sharper and less traditional.
Use ready Shortcrust Pastry for consistency and practical home cooking.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge and is good cold, which is how they were carried down the mines. Reheat in a moderate oven, never a microwave. Unbaked pasties freeze for three months and bake from frozen with extra time.

Lancashire Hotpot

A northern English Lancashire hotpot with tender lamb, onion, carrot, stock, and crisp sliced potato topping.

1 hr 55 minnon vegetarian

English Bread and Butter Pudding

A classic English bread and butter pudding with buttered bread, raisins, nutmeg, and baked egg custard.

1 hreggetarian

English Cottage Pie

A comforting English cottage pie with savoury beef mince, vegetables, gravy, and a golden mashed potato topping.

1 hr 5 minnon vegetarian

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

A warm English sticky toffee pudding with soft date sponge and glossy buttery toffee sauce.

1 hreggetarian

English Toad in the Hole

A classic English sausage bake with golden Yorkshire pudding batter and simple onion gravy.

50 minnon vegetarian

English Victoria Sponge Cake

A classic English Victoria sponge filled with fruit jam and whipped cream, finished with powdered sugar.

1 hr 20 mineggetarian