[Mikey]

Does anyone out there have a great recipe for Cornish pasties? or a good one? Or the best place to buy them would be fantastic

[AlphaTrooper]

Never heard of them

[admin (no pm's please)]

they are excellent, and require many hours discussion! so not able now

[Symon]

THE CORNISH PASTY
It was once said that the Devil would never dare to cross the River Tamar into Cornwall for fear of ending up as a filling in a Cornish Pasty. For centuries the Cornish have been filling their famous pasties with almost any ingredients that you would care to think of. The traditional filling is, of course, beef and potato, usually with slices of onion and swede mixed in as well, but the humble pasty can also be found in a number of other guises. Popular fillings down the years have included Egg and Bacon, Rabbit, Apples, Figs, Jam, and Egg and Currants. There is virtually no limit to what tasty filling you might find when you take a first bite into that delicious crunchy pastry! Surprisingly, however, in a region where the sea plays such an important role in everyday life, fish has never been regarded as an appropriate pasty filling. In fact, the more superstitious among Cornish fishermen will refuse to take a pasty on board their boat when they set out to sea, in the belief that it will bring them bad luck.

The pasty originally evolved to meet the needs of tin mining, that other great, but now sadly declined, Cornish industry. A hearty meal wrapped in a pastry casing made for a very practical lunch (or "croust" , as they used to call it ) down in the dark and damp tunnels of the mine. Some mines even built huge ovens on the surface to keep the miner's pasties hot until it was time to eat.

Tradition has it that the original pasties contained meat and vegetables in one end and jam or fruit in the other end, in order to give the hard-working men 'two courses'. Cornish housewives also marked their husband's initials on the left-hand side of the pastry casing, in order to avoid confusion at lunchtime. This was particularly useful when a miner wished to save a 'corner' of his pasty until later, or if he wanted to leave a corner for one of the 'Knockers'. The Knockers were the mischievous 'little people' of the mines, who were believed by the miners to cause all manner of misfortune, unless they were placated with a small amount of food, after which they could prove to be a source of good luck.

Today there is still a great deal of debate among pasty-makers about exactly how a genuine pasty should be made. Many will tell you that a pasty can only be made with short pastry, while others will advocate rough puff as the ideal pastry. Some will claim that the ingredients must be mixed up inside the pastry, while others will swear that the fillings should be laid out in a particular order before the pasty is sealed. The issue that invites the most controversy involves the famous 'crimp', the wavy seam that holds the whole pasty together. Should the pasty be sealed across the top, or at the side? History suggests that the crimp should be formed at the side, because the pasty has always been eaten by hand, and the side crimp is the most convenient way of holding onto your lunch while you take a big bite. Others may beg to differ! There are, fortunately, some facts that can be agreed upon by all pasty-makers. The meat should be chopped, the vegetables should always be sliced, and the ingredients must never be cooked before they are wrapped in the pastry. Each pasty must be baked completely from raw. It is this fact that makes the Cornish Pasty unique amongst similar foods from around the world.

Nobody knows for certain the true origins of the pasty, although it can be traced at least as far back as the middle ages. It is believed that Henry VIII's Queen, Jane Seymour, enjoyed a tasty pasty on several occasions. Over the years the pasty has spread across the country and around the world. Variations can be found in counties such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cumberland, although it has been suggested that Cornish miners introduced the pasty to these places when they left Cornwall and moved up-country in search of work. Cornish emigrants also introduced the pasty onto the American continent. They are popular in parts of the United States, as well as in Argentina and Mexico.

Depending on where you go, pasties come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Until recently, a group of Young Farmers in Cornwall held the record for making the largest pasty known to man. The pasty, which was baked in 1985, took seven hours to make, and measured over 32 feet in length! Amazingly, their record was believed to be beaten in May 1999, when bakers in Falmouth made their own giant pasty during the town's first ever Pasty Festival.

The pasty is, and always shall be associated with Cornwall. It holds a special place in Cornish culture and in the hearts of the Cornish people. For many people the pasty is the greatest symbol of Cornwall. When the Cornish Rugby team plays an important match, a giant Cornish pasty is symbolically hoisted over the bar before the start of the game. It is a tradition that dates back to 1908, and the original giant pasty is still used to this day.

While many inhabitants of Cornwall still like to bake their own, the pasty has risen to become big business in shops and supermarkets throughout the country. Nowadays, you can even dial-a-pasty straight to your door! Any Cornish man or woman will tell you, however, that a true Cornish pasty can only be homebaked in the traditional way, and you will only experience the mouth-watering taste of a true Cornish pasty if you pay a visit to the county where it was created.

[Symon]

Cornish Pasty History and Folklore-Cornwall.




THE Cornish pasty is the original hand-held convenience food with a pedigree that dates back to the Middle Ages. In the 13th and 14th centuries, pasties were filled with venison, beef, lamb, salmon and lampreys (eels), dressed with rich gravies and sweetened with dried fruits. It was a high table dish enjoyed almost exclusively by royalty and the upper classes.

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.

Though the recipe below uses short-crust pastry, many people prefer flaky pastry, being lighter on the stomach.

Cornish Pasty Ingredients - Recipe


For the Pastry ( This is for Short-crust)

One and a half Cups Plain Flour
Lard or vegetable fat
Pinch of salt
Water
For the pasty filling

Chuck steak
Two Large potatoes
Half large turnip (swede)
One large onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Water

Method

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.

Cooking your Cornish Pasty Place on lightly greased metal baking tray in the middle of a preheated oven, for around 40 minutes at 450 F . The pasty is cooked when their undersides turn brown and crisp.

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:
10 oz/275g/2 cups plain flour (I use a mixture of 3 oz white & 7 oz wholewheat/wholemeal)

5 oz/130g/ 3/4 cup hard margarine (I grate it - it's easier to rub in!)

pinch salt

water to mix

The filling:

1 tablespoon oil or margarine

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 small Swede chopped (about 1/2inch dice)

4 medium/large carrots chopped as above

1 medium/large potato chopped as above

1 tsp yeast extract

black pepper to taste

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.


Other Pasty Recipe's


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:

shortcrust pastry

leeks

butter

salt and pepper

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:

shortcrust pastry

parsley

watercress

spinach

shallots or leeks

butter

beaten egg

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.

[admin (no pm's please)]

Excellent

5 mins searching on the net does reduce the "hours of discussion"

I love pasties, but do think you need to get away from the tradition that the pastie must be able to suvive dropping down a mineshaft!

[Symon]

Not one of the two sites i went on memntioned the fact that the reason they have the funny custy bit was so the miners could eat all around it and throw the crust away as they had dirty finger marks on it.

[Ziddy1232]

[admin (no pm's please)]

I seem to recall seeing them somewhere or other on my US tours, but I think they were a bit of a travesty.

[Ziddy1232]

When i went to LA i had a pasty there it had the meat and potatoes and carrots. But it tasted nothing like a cornish pasty does!

[Mikey]

Thanks Sy

Alpha's never heard of a pastie!!! Your missing out on heaven mate pure heaven is the pastie. :P

[admin (no pm's please)]

[Symon]

I have had the pleasure of living in devon and staying or visting cornwall quite alot, and its true what they say.

cream tea only taste good in devon

pastie only when made in cornwall

[sgts]

After the traditional pastie it has to be the pretender to the throne, The Steak and Stilton Pastie!!

[Ziddy1232]

[sgts]

Mevagissey has the ultimate pastie shop for me. Herring and dill for the Mrs, Chocolate and banana for number 2 daughter, Summer berries for number 1 daughter and the steak and stilton for me