Hairy Dieters Cornish Pasty Food

CLASSIC CORNISH PASTY

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.

HAIRY BIKERS' CORNISH PASTY RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the shortcrust pastry: Place the flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and egg yolks into a food processor and blitz until the mixture forms crumbs. Slowly add the water until a ball of pastry miraculously appears - you may not need all the water. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and leave it to chill in the fridge for an hour.
• To prepare the Cornish pasty filling: Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Roll out the pastry to the thickness you like, but be careful not to tear it. Using a dinner plate as a template, cut out 6 discs of pastry.
• Season the vegetables separately with salt and black pepper. Put the beef into a bowl and mix with the flour and some salt and pepper. Place some potatoes, swede, onions, and beef on one half of the circle, leaving a gap around the edge. Dot with butter. Brush around the perimeter of the pastry circle with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the vegetables and meat and seal firmly. Starting at one side, crimp the edges over to form a sealed D-shaped pasty. Brush the whole pasty with a beaten egg, then make a steam hole in the center with a sharp knife.
• Repeat to make the other pasties. Put the pasties in the oven and cook for 50 mins until they are crispy and golden and the filling is cooked through. Leave them to rest for 5-10 mins before eating.

LIGHTER CORNISH PASTIES

Steps:

• To make the filling, mix everything together in a bowl with ¾ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp cold water. Stir in a pinch of salt and set aside. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 1-2 baking sheets or trays with baking parchment.
• To make the pastry, put the flour, baking powder and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Tip in the oil, egg yolk and 5 tbsp cold water. Pulse again until the dough just starts to come together, adding another ½-1 tbsp water, or as needed. If you gently press the dough and it sticks together, you know it's the right consistency. Tip out the dough onto the work surface and gently press it into a smooth ball.
• Cut the pastry into 6 equal pieces. For each pasty, lightly and briefly shape one piece of the pastry to a smooth ball. (Keep the other pieces wrapped in cling film until needed.) Press the ball down to make an even flattened round. Then roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, as thinly as you can, to a circle just over 20cm in diameter, keeping the round shape with your hands as you roll. As you're rolling the pastry thinner than usual, handle it carefully to prevent it breaking, and keep the work surface and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour to prevent the pastry sticking. Use the base of a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin (or similar) as a guide to cut around to neaten the pastry edges (step 1). Spoon a sixth of the filling down the centre of the pastry circle and lightly press down with your hand to contain and flatten it slightly. Dampen the pastry edges with water (step 2) and carefully bring one side of the pastry over to join the other side (step 3), tucking in the filling to keep it inside as you do so. Press the joins together to seal, then make a thin decorative edge by rolling or curling the pastry edge over all the way around. Press down to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Sit each pasty on the baking sheet or tray, then pierce a small hole in the top of each one for the steam to escape. Beat the egg white to loosen, then brush a little over each pasty to glaze (step 4).
• Bake for 15 mins, then lower the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush with more egg white, and bake a further 35 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden, covering loosely with foil if they are browning too quickly. Remove with a wide spatula and leave to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.