Not So Cornish Pasty

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My husband’s family comes from Cornwall, the home of the world famous Cornish pasty, the, local specialty that dates back centuries. Any Brit will tell you that pasties were the perfect “packed lunch” for the Cornish tin miners. Easily portable, the flaky pastry case was stuffed with beef, swede (in Cornwall called turnip), onion and potatoes. Apart from salt and pepper that was it. Sometimes one corner of the pasty encased a portion of stewed apple for dessert.

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Cornish people are very protective of their pasty, even down to the crimping of the edges. There is only one right way to do it and they will snigger at any rogue attempts. My husband’s grandmother made pasties at home. I had her pasty once, with vegetarian filling, only to discover years later that the pastry was made with lard 🙁 This might have been the only animal product I had since going vegetarian…

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My pasty is not like the traditional one. The pastry is different, of course I don’t use lard but I also keep away from any vegetable shortenings that would make a credible replacement. Therefore I have decided to use a yeast dough, slightly crossing over the the calzone territory. Yes the texture is different, but it went down really well with the family.

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The filling of course is rather different too, no beef here, instead we have luscious combination of sweet potatoes, mushrooms and spinach, gorgeous healthy vegetables, and in keeping with Cornish pasty seasoned with lots of pepper.

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The plan is to serve it to my mum-in-law next time she comes for a visit, I will dodge the comments about my lack of crimping but hopefully she will enjoy my take on the food she grew up with.

 

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the dough

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1 cup of warm water

1 Tbs of olive oil, plus more for the rising of the dough

1 tsp of agave syrup

1 sachet of instant (or fast acting) yeast

150g (1 cup) of fine wholewheat flour

225 g (1 and 1/2 cups) of wholewheat spelt flour

salt

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the filling

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2 medium large sweet potatoes (roughly 600g, just under 1 and half lb)

1 Tbs olive oil (separated)

3 large portobello mushrooms

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme

200g (about half a lb) baby spinach

salt and lots of pepper to taste

First make the dough for the pasty.

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In a large bowl mix the warm water (just hand warm, not boiling hot) with the agave syrup, olive oil and yeast. Stir. Let it stand for 10min to get the yeast activated, the mixture should start to bubble up.

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Next start mixing in the flour. Don’t add all the flour at once, each flour is different and can yield different results at different quantities. After about 1 and half cups add 1 tsp of salt, get your hands in, mix, adding more flour until you get soft pliable dough, not dry or stiff. You are making a basic bread dough.

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Invert the dough on a floured surface and knead for at least 5 min until you get a smooth ball of dough. Add more flour if dough is sticking to your surface too much.

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Rub a little bit of olive oil all over your ball of dough, place in a large bowl, cover with cling film and let rest in a warm place for about 1 hr or until it has doubled in size.

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Preheat your oven to 200C.

While your dough is rising, peel your sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch dice, place in a roasting dish lined with some baking paper. Add 1/2 Tbs of olive oil making sure all pieces are coated. Roast in a the oven for about 25 min or until the potatoes are cooked through and caramelized along the edges.

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In a large frying pan, heat another half a Tbs of olive oil. Add the onion and cook for about 5 min or until soft.

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Add the garlic in and cook for further minute.

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Cut the mushrooms into 1 cm pieces and add to the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 min or until mushrooms are soft.

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Don’t forget to season everything.

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Next add in the spinach, cook until it is just wilted (about 1 min).

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Place the vegetables into a bowl together with the roasted sweet potatoes.

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Mix all the vegetables together, breaking some of the potatoes as you go. Season with plenty of pepper. Set aside.

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When your dough has risen, invert it onto a floured surface and knead for about 2 min.

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Divide the dough into 4 (this makes large, calzone size pasties) or 8 pieces (for smaller pasties – perfect for picnic).

Make sure to divide your vegetable mixture accordingly.

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Roll each piece of the dough into a large circle (the dough should be quite thin, think pizza), place the filling on one half of the circle leaving about 1/2inch border. Fold the other half over trying not to make any holes. Press the edges down with a fork.

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Line a baking sheet with baking paper and place the pasties on top. Bake for about 25 minutes in a 200C oven or till the pasties are lightly brown and sound hollow when you tap on the pastry.

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Enjoy!