from BRFM Volunteer Jinny Bastianelli
Pronounced pass-tees, the tasty little meat hand pies were brought to the Upper Peninsula (the U.P.) by miners from Cornwall. Cornish pasties were a convenient way to take a meal for the day – meat and potatoes wrapped in pastry and ready to eat without utensils. My father-in-law grew up in the U.P. and my husband spent summers there as a child. We took our children there every summer to enjoy the woods and lakes, and the Italian and Polish food including pasties! Now I make them for my family whenever I can, especially when rutabagas are in season.
Ingredients:
For Pastry:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
- 2/3 cup ice water, plus extra as needed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup shortening or lard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Or do what I usually do and get store-bought pie dough.
For Filling:
- 8 oz. ground beef (or skirt steak, finely chopped)
- 1 medium rutabaga,* oeeled and diced (about 1 full cup)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped (less if dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped (less if dried)
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- brown mustard, garnish (optional)
The original Cornish recipe calls for a russet potato, a small turnip, and a large carrot. One good-sized rutabaga takes the place of all of them with the mild starchiness of the potato, the tang of the turnip, and the sweetness of the carrot.
Directions
For Pastry:
- Mix flour and salt together before adding in cold, cubed butter.
- Pulse for 10-15 seconds, until mixture is crumbly and butter is the size of small pebbles.
- Slowly drizzle in 2/3 cup ice water and pulse until dough ball begins to form. Note: if mixture is too dry, add more ice water, 1-2 teaspoons at a time.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large, flat rectangle.
- Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-45 minutes, or until chilled.
For Filling:
- While dough chills, combine beef with rutabaga, onion, and garlic and season generously with salt and pepper, thyme and rosemary.
- Preheat oven to 400º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and cut it into 6 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece out to an 8-inch circle.
- Spoon 1/2-2/3 cup beef mixture into the center of dough, top with 1/2 tablespoon butter.
- Take far edge of dough circle and fold over the beef, to form a half moon.
- Seal edges with a fork and repeat with remaining pasties.
- Transfer to lined baking sheet and brush the tops of dough with beaten egg.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned, then lower oven temperature to 350º F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
My boys love them hot out of the oven, warmed up for breakfast, or cold late at night or any time they feel the craving. I also make a full pie sometimes with the same filling and serve slices of it with a nice side salad for supper.