With its semi-circular shape and crimped edge, the Cornish pasty must be one of the best-known pies in the world. Legend has it that they were first eaten by tin miners, who had to spend long days down in the mines without returning to the surface for lunch. The crimped edge acted as a sort of handle, and the miners could munch away at the rest of the pasty and discard the handle that had come into contact with their dirty (sometimes arsenic-contaminated) hands.
Traditional Cornish pasties are made from beef, onion and potato, but these days they come with all sorts of funky fillings. These chicken pasties are not strictly authentic, but they are light and tasty. I think the shortcrust pastry is much nicer than the traditional tough pastry. You won’t want to throw any of it away.
Time: 2 hours
Makes: 10
Ingredients
- 1 medium potato, peeled and finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 medium parsnip, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 leek, finely diced
- 1 stick celery, finely diced
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup homemade breadcrumbs
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 400g chicken breast, cut into small dice
- 1kg savoury shortcrust pastry
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with 4 tablespoons milk
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC and lightly oil a baking tray.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the chicken, potato, carrot and parsnip and return to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes before draining.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan and sweat the onion, garlic, leek and celery for 5 minutes, or until they soften. Add the potato, carrot, parsnip and peas and stir well. Fold in the parsley and breadcrumbs, and season generously.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to 0.5cm thickness. Cut into 15cm circles and place a generous spoonful of filling in the centre of each. Brush the edge of each circle with the egg wash and fold over to enclose the filling. Press to seal then crimp the edges together. Use the sharp point of a knife to make a small incision in each pasty to let out the steam. Brush with egg wash, then lift the pasties onto the prepared baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden.
Recipe taken from Meat by Adrian Richardson
Meat is a comprehensive cookbook with great tips and information on processing meat, the different cuts, preparation and storage methods and delicious recipes. Meat will illuminate and educate keen home cooks who would like to learn more about the meat we eat; where it comes from and various ways to use different meats. You can purchase Meat at cooked.com. Published by Hardie Grant Books.
Also read: Jamie Oliver’s Prawn Spaghetti