Mini Vegetable Pasties Food

VEGETABLE PASTIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough into 8 pieces, and shape into balls. Cover, and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrot, turnip, potatoes and mushrooms. Add water, bouillon cube, tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Roll each pastry ball into a circle, 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Place about 1 cup of filling on one half of each circle. Fold pastry over filling, and pinch edges to seal. Place on baking sheet, and brush with egg.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

MINI-VEGETABLE PASTIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C Line an oven tray with baking paper. Cook sweet potato in boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Use a fork to mash until smooth. Set aside to cool in bowl.
• Cook carrot and potato in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
• Add carrot mixture, peas, corn, cheese and 1 egg to sweet potato. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
• Use a 12cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 12 discs from pastry sheets. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly among pastry discs. Brush edges of pastry lightly with remaining egg.
• Fold pastries in half to enclose filling. Use fingertips to gently press together to seal. Place on the lined tray and lightly brush with remaining egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• [You can freeze these pasties at this point. Place in an airtight container in the freezer. To defrost, place individual pasties in the fridge for 4 hours.].
• Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
• Once completely cooled, wrap in foil and place in lunch box.

LEEK, CHEESE & POTATO PASTIES

Steps:

• Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water for 5-8 mins until tender, but still holding their shape. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and thyme and soften for 10-12 mins. Drain potatoes and add to the leeks with the mustard and plenty of seasoning. Stir in the cream and leave to cool a little.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use a side plate or a bowl as a template to cut out 6 x 15cm circles. Mix the cheese with the leek mixture and pile a mound of the mix onto the centre of each pastry circle. Brush around edges with a little egg, then bring edges together and crimp with your fingers to seal.
• Place pasties on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, brush with the remaining egg and bake for 40-45 mins until golden brown. Serve warm or leave to cool.

CURRIED POTATO PASTIES

Steps:

• Heat a large pan of water, add the potatoes, then cook for 8 mins until just soft. Add the peas 1 min before the end of cooking time. Drain, then set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the onion until soft and slightly coloured. Add the curry paste and mustard seeds, then fry for a few mins more until the mixture smells fragrant. Carefully stir in the potatoes and peas, trying not to mash them. Add the lemon juice and coriander, then leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Unroll the pastry rectangle, place on a floured surface with the long side towards you and roll it out a little more to make it into a square shape. Cut into 4 squares, then cut each one in half so you have 8 long rectangles. Place 4 of them onto a baking sheet, brush the edges with beaten egg and place a quarter of the filling down the centre of each. Top with the remaining pastry, then pinch the edges together to make a sealed parcel. Brush with more egg, then bake for 20 mins until puffed and golden. If cooking from frozen, bake for 30 mins. Serve with fresh green salad and a spoonful of chutney.

MINI CHEESE & ONION PASTIES

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Tip the flour into a bowl. Holding the block of butter in its wrapper, grate it directly into the flour (you may need to dip the end of the butter into the flour occasionally if it becomes sticky). Add the cayenne pepper, mustard powder and half the beaten egg, and season with a pinch of salt. Bring everything together with your hands until the mixture starts to clump together. Tip the pastry onto the work surface and knead very briefly into a smooth ball, adding up to 3 tbsp cold water if it's too dry. Squash the pastry into a disc. Wrap and chill while you make the filling.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions and thyme leaves for 8-10 mins until the onions have softened and started to caramelise. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Once cool, mix in the grated cheese, mustard and spring onions.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out as many 10-12cm circles as you can (you can use a cup or mug as a template), then re-roll any off-cuts and repeat. You should get about 10-12 circles in total.
• Spoon a mound of the filling into the centre of each pastry circle, leaving the edges clear. Working with one circle at a time, brush a little of the remaining beaten egg around the edge, then bring two sides up to meet in the middle in a half-moon shape. Pinch the pastry together, crimping the edge to seal. Transfer to the baking tray and repeat with the remaining pastry circles and filling. Brush all the pasties with some beaten egg. Will keep frozen for two months.
• Bake the pasties for 20-25 mins (or 40-45 mins from frozen) until the pastry is deep golden brown. Leave to cool for at least 10 mins before eating warm, or cool completely and pack into containers for a picnic. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

BEEF PASTIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. If using shop-bought pastry, take it out of the fridge to reach room temperature while you prepare the vegetables and meat.
• Peel and roughly chop the potatoes, onion and swede into ¼cm cubes. Trim the beef of any fat or sinew, then cut into small strips and chunks. Season well and divide both the meat and vegetables into six equally sized portions.
• Roll the pastry into a log and cut into six equal pieces. Knead and lightly stretch or roll each piece into 20cm-wide circles. Layer on the beef and veg, slightly to one side. Keep harder textures like swede in the middle, followed by potato then beef towards the edges. This will prevent anything piercing the dough when crimping.
• Add two knobs of the butter per pasty and a light sprinkling of flour to thicken the gravy inside and prevent soggy bottoms. Lightly wet your fingertips and dampen the edges of each pasty, then gently fold one end over the filling to enclose it. Keeping your fingers slightly damp, crimp the edges.
• Put the pasties on a baking tray covered with a sheet of baking parchment, then cut two small slits into the top of each. Brush with beaten egg and cook for 10-15 mins. When starting to brown, turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and cook for further 45 mins until golden. Leave to cool for at least 10 mins before serving.