I have been eating pasties all my life (past-eez, not paste-eez). One of the highlights of my trip to Europe was getting to eat real Cornish pasties at a shop in England (they were a little fru-fru, but oh so good.) Pasties take a lot of prep and some time to put together, but the payoff is wonderful. And, they freeze really well, so make a big batch and freeze some. Pasties were originally a working man’s food. They were designed so that they were an entire meal contained in a nice little pouch; women would get up early in the morning to make them, and men would take them to work in the mines. My grandma told this bit of history every time she made pasties. She also told stories about getting up at 3 or 4 am before a trip so that she and her mother could make pasties to take in the car. “This was before there were such things as drive-thrus, kids.”
Now, I have to say that I’m a bit of a pasty snob. I grew up in Northern Michigan, where there is apparently a large Scandinavian influence. They make pasties with ground beef and turnips, and eat them with ketchup. My grandma was disgusted. Ours have always been made with cubed round steak, onions, and potatoes. Grandma felt very strongly that they should only be eaten with malt vinegar, hot mustard, or (grudgingly) beef gravy. I’ve been experimenting with a steak and Guinness version, and that recipe may follow. For now, though, here is the tried and true. Depending on the size of your potatoes and the amount of beef you end up with, you may have extra filling. I usually start with one batch of dough and continue to make more until I’m out of filling or I’m exhausted, whichever comes first.
To freeze, wrap individually in aluminum foil. Seal well. Reheat in a low oven or in the microwave (sans foil).
[picture to come]
Grandma Sally’s Pasties (makes approx. 4 large pasties; 6 medium pasties)
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold shortening
3 Tbs. cold butter
5-7 Tbs. ice water
Filling:
1 package (about 1-1 1/2 lbs) round steak, cubed
6-8 peeled, sliced potatoes (russet, you want them to hold up in the oven)
1/2 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
beef gravy, hot mustard, or malt vinegar for serving
Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add shortening and butter. Pulse until crumbly. Sprinkle 4 Tbs. water evenly over mixture (or stream in using the tube). Pulse 1-3 times, until mixture pulls away from sides of the bowl and dry ingredients are moistened. Add additional water if necessary. Divide mixture into 4 or 6 equal portions, depending on desired pasty size. On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion into a ball. Roll each ball into a circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Layer beef, potato, and onion on one half of each circle, season with salt and pepper. Fold other half of crust over; crimp edges to seal. Poke holes in top to vent.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve with beef gravy.
