(Almost) Cornish Pasty

By Naperville Magazine
August 2024 View more Recipe

By Kelli Ra Anderson

Pronounced “PASS-tee,” this savory hand pie dish traces its origins to medieval England and later Cornish tin miners. With the classic meaty filling encased in a flaky rough-puff pastry, miners’ wives and mothers edged pasties with a decorative thick crimp, a handle of sorts that miners would hold while eating to keep any toxic dust on their hands from contaminating their food. Although devout purists insist beef, potato, rutabaga, and onion (with salt and pepper) are the only ingredients permitted to certify as “Cornish,” this updated version, with its addition of sweet carrots and wine-glazed broth, creates a flavorful filling any miner would have gladly enjoyed.

FILLING INGREDIENTS

MAKES 5 Pasties

2 cups diced sirloin steak
2 cups peeled, diced rutabaga
2 cups peeled, diced Yukon gold potatoes
2 cups diced onion
2 cups peeled, diced carrots
2–3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
⅓ cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup beef broth
¼ cup red wine
1 egg, beaten

FILLING DIRECTIONS

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add in beef, seasoning with 1 teaspoon salt and half the pepper. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool in the refrigerator.

2. Melt remaining butter in the pan. Saute onion, rutabaga, carrots, and potato (season with another teaspoon salt and remaining pepper) for 1 minute before covering with a lid and cooking for additional 3 to 4 minutes. (Stir as needed to prevent scorching.)

3. Remove the pan lid and stir in the flour. Deglaze the pan with wine and broth and simmer until thickened. Set aside to cool; mix in the beef and refrigerate while making the dough.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

2½ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, chilled and cubed
½ cup iced water

DOUGH INSTRUCTIONS

Mix flour and salt before cutting in the butter until crumbly. Moisten with ice water and gently combine until it can be pressed together to form a ball. Transfer to a floured surface and fold over itself three to four times before covering in plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

PRO TIP: Bread flour, which contains more gluten than all-purpose flour, is key to creating a stronger, more flexible dough needed for shaping and crimping this classic pastry.

ASSEMBLY

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface until ⅛ inch thick.

3. Using a round 6-inch diameter dish as a template, cut around the dish to make 5 circles of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Fill half of each circle with chilled filling, leaving a 1-inch border.

5. Brush the border with egg wash then fold the dough over the filling to the edges and press to seal.

6. Crimp the dough by making about 20 small twists. Beginning at one corner, hold down the edge with a fingertip then twist the adjacent pastry over it and repeat, moving clockwise until folding the end corners underneath.

7. Brush the pasties with egg wash. Bake on a middle rack for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Serve with chili sauce (optional); can be served warm or room temperature (perfect for a picnic).

Photos: Kellira Media