The Cornish Pasty at
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The Cornish Pasty at Cornish-Links |
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The History | The Recipe | Vegetarian Pasty | Other Pasties
Cornish Pasty History and Folklore-Cornwall
The pasty became synonymous with Cornwall some 500 years later, thanks largely
to the development of tin and copper mining in the county. Filled with beef,
potatoes, onion and turnip, the pasty was a highly portable, well-insulated and
nutritious meal ideally suited to the grueling conditions underground. Some
miners would have a pasty with a sweet course at one end - containing apple, jam
or treacle.
When Cornish miners emigrated to work in the USA, Australia, South Africa and
South America they took their pasty-making skills with them. The tradition
continues to this day in many former mining boom towns and cities.
Three million pasties are produced in Cornwall every week with ninety
per cent of them sold outside the county. Efforts are being made to give the
Cornish pasty protected status under European law. It would prevent producers
outside the county from calling their pasties 'Cornish'. Home bakers argue their pasties are vastly superior to their commercial
counterparts. Opinions vary considerably however on whether to crimp on the top
or the side of a pasty, to slice or dice meat and vegetables and to use glazed
or un-glazed pastry. The debate all adds to the pasty's appeal and charm. Like
the Scottish kilt, or the Welsh dragon it has become a strong symbol of Cornwall
- an edible cultural icon famous throughout the world.
There is as much folklore around the Cornish Pasty
as there are recipe variations. One such tale said it was bad luck for fishermen
to take a pasty on board a boat, but then again I know a modern day skipper that
'loves his pasties'. A very famous photograph from the Nineteenth Century shows
a group of tin miners at 'Crost Time', (meal time), tucking into very
large pasties. Such pasties would have meat at one end and a fruit filling at
the other.
Whatever the truth there is no doubt that the pasty
formed an important part of many working Cornishman's diet, miners, farmers, or
fishermen. With the decline of the mining industry in Cornwall many Cornishmen
were forced to emigrate, as far a field as the USA, Australia, New Zealand and
South Africa taking their pasty recipe's with them.
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For the
Pastry ( This is for Short-crust)
For the pasty filling
The Pastry
Place flour and salt in a bowl, rub in the fat, until the mixture is so fine
that it falls through the fingers. Tip mixture onto a lightly floured table top.
With your index finger make a well in the centre of the mixture. Add water a
little at a time until it forms a pliable but stiff dough.
The Cornish Pasty Filling
Finely chop the steak. Dice the potato, turnip (swede) and onion. You may prefer to
slice them. Add seasoning. Mix all in a bowl or to be really authentic use your
kitchen table top.
Using a floured table top roll
out half the dough to a circle the size of a plate. Make a mound of the filling
in the centre of the dough. Dampen round the edge of the dough with either
water, or milk. Fold over the dough, to make a half moon shape, crimping the
edges. Make a slit to let out steam. Brush with beaten egg to glaze.
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Vegetarian
Pasty Ingredients -Recipe
I should point out that if it was a vegan version of a 'traditional' Cornish pasty it would not have carrot in it - but I think it's tastier with it in there.
Ingredients to make 4 medium to large pasties:
The pastry:The filling:
Vegetarian
Pasty Recipe Method
Pastry: Mix flours and salt together. Rub in grated marg until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add cold water a tablespoon at a time until the mixture holds together and a firm dough is formed. Knead lightly. Put in fridge
Filling: Melt the margarine or heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and stir well. Put lid on saucepan and cook, on a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are nearly cooked. Stir in yeast extract and add black pepper, and allow the mixture to cool. Remove pastry from fridge and cut into four equal pieces. Roll out each piece roughly into a circle of about 7 inch (this is very roughly - I never actually measure it!). Place 1/4 of the veg mix along the centre of each circle and wet edges, bring them together above the veg mix and seal and 'crimp'. Brush with soya milk.
Cooking Place in the oven (preheated) at 180C/375F on the middle shelf for about 40-45 minutes.
These are good hot or cold, and I sometimes add herbs to the mixture (fresh or dried whatever I have to hand) just for a change! Hope you enjoy them as much as my children have over the years.
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Licky Pasty This is a traditional Cornish recipe. The meat and potato varieties
of Cornish pasties are the most well-known, but traditionally all sorts
of fillings were put in pasties, including vegetable ones.
"Licky" is another word for "leek". Ingredients:
Method: Prepare the leeks by removing the dark green heads, and
slicing the remainder, then washing thoroughly in cold water to remove any
grit. Make the pastry and roll it out until it is about a
quarter of an inch thick. Cut it into rounds, using a saucer or a small
plate as a template. Use the leeks for filling, placing an appropriate amount
of filling on one half of each circle of pastry. Put a knob of butter on
top and season with salt and pepper. Dampen the edges of the pastry with
water, then fold over the other half of the circle, to form a pasty shape.
Press the edges together with the fingers and crimp to seal. Make 2 or 3 ventilating slits in the top of the pasty, brush with milk or egg if you want a glaze, and bake in a hot oven 450F until the pastry is pale brown, then reduce the heat to medium (350F) for about 40 minutes. |
Herb Pasty This is a traditional Cornish recipe. The meat and potato varieties of
Cornish pasties are the most well-known, but traditionally all sorts of
fillings were put in pasties, including vegetable ones. Ingredients:
Method: Chop and scald a quantity of well-washed parsley, watercress
and spinach. Cut up finely either some shallots or leeks. Make the pastry and roll it out until it is about a quarter
of an inch thick. Cut it into rounds, using a saucer or a small plate as a
template. Use the herb mixture for filling, placing an appropriate
amount of filling on one half of each circle of pastry. Put a knob of butter
on top. Dampen the edges of the pastry with water, then fold over the other
half of the circle, to form a pasty shape. Press the edges together with the
fingers and crimping to seal, except at one point. Pour a little beaten egg
in at this point, then seal that bit too. Make 2 or 3 ventilating slits in the top of the pasty, brush with milk or egg if you want a glaze, and bake in a hot oven 450F until the pastry is pale brown, then reduce the heat to medium (350F) for about 40 minutes. |