BEST PASTY RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
• Soften the onion for about 5 mins, then add garlic and thyme and fry for another 2 mins on high temperature. Add the mince and fry for about 10 mins until browned, add potato and carrot fry for a couple of minutes then add flour, stir well and pour the beef stock over, add a pinch of salt and a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper and stir some more. Reduce the heat, partly cover and leave to simmer for 30 mins, stir occasionally.
• When the filling is cooked, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed (make sure you add plenty of pepper )
• Then leave it to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 180C, line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
• Roll out the pastry and cut into 3-4 circles of about 25cm diameter.
• Separate the filling in 3-4 portions and place each portion slightly to one side of each pastry circle, top it with few frozen peas. Apply egg around the edge, then fold it in a half and seal it. Place the pastries on the baking try and glaze them with egg.
• Bake them in the oven for about 30 mins.
• Cool them and enjoy warm or cold.

Steps:

• Tip 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. Use the heel of your hand to stretch the dough. 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 and work the dough vigorously to get the best results.
• When the dough is smooth, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for 30–60 minutes.
• While the dough is resting, peel and cut the potato, swede and onion into cubes about 1cm/½in square. Cut the beef into similar sized chunks. Put all four ingredients into a bowl and mix. Season well with salt and some freshly ground black pepper, then put the filling to one side until the dough is ready.
• Lightly grease a baking tray with margarine (or butter) and line with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).
• Preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan assisted)/325F/Gas 3.
• 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 four equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a disc roughly 25cm/10in wide (roughly the same size as a dinner plate).
• Spoon a quarter of the filling onto each disc. Spread the filling on one half of the disc, leaving the other half clear. Put a knob of butter or margarine on top of the filling.
• Carefully fold the pastry over, join the edges and push with your fingers to seal. Crimp the edge to make sure the filling is held inside – either by using a fork, or by making small twists along the sealed edge. Traditionally Cornish pasties have around 20 crimps. When you’ve crimped along the edge, fold the end corners underneath.
• Put the pasties onto the baking tray and brush the top of each pasty with the egg and salt mixture. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45 minutes or until the pasties are golden-brown. If your pasties aren't browning, increase the oven temperature by 10C/25F for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.