Dr Mobeus
Cornish Pasty Recipe
A proper pasty is one of the best value meals you can make. For 78p each you get meat, veg and pastry in one portable package that works for dinner or lunch. The key is using budget mince – you don’t need premium beef because it cooks down inside the pastry and stays tender.
Making your own pastry is far cheaper than buying it ready-made, and it’s not as hard as people think. If you have a food processor, it takes 30 seconds. The crimping takes a bit of practice but looks impressive even when it’s messy – a rough pasty is still a great pasty.
Batch bake these on a Sunday, wrap in foil and freeze. They reheat perfectly in the oven from frozen in about 25 minutes at 180C.
Cornish Pasty Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour with a pinch of salt until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water to bring it together into a dough. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. In a bowl, mix the beef mince, diced potato, onion, swede, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Roll out the pastry and cut into 4 equal circles about 20cm across.
- Divide the filling between the circles, placing it on one half of each. Brush the edge with water, fold over and crimp the edges to seal.
- Beat the egg with a splash of water and brush over the pasties. Cut a small slit in the top of each to let steam escape.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before eating.
Tips and Variations
Swede is traditional but you can use turnip or extra potato if it’s cheaper. Add a teaspoon of mustard to the filling for a kick. If pastry-making scares you, use ready-made shortcrust – it adds about 15p per pasty but still keeps you well under a pound. Don’t skip the egg wash – it’s what gives that golden bakery look.
