These are a variation on the classic Cornish Pasties and are a wonderful dish to take on picnics or for lunch. They are nice hot or cold and you can add any vegetables or spices to this basic mix to suit your own palate. Mixture remaining from the pasties is then used to make a soup.

 

Vegetable Pasties

 

Basic Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 85 g butter
• 8 Tblsp chilled water

Filling:

• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 large potatoes chopped into fine cubes
• 3/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups of frozen peas, rinsed well
• salt and pepper

Method

Shortcrust Pastry:

1. Using a food processor and the chopping blade. add flour and salt and securing the cover, process for 5 seconds. (equivalent to sifting)
2. Add butter and process until combined, about 15 seconds
3. Add water through the feed tube and process until the pastry forms a ball.
4. Cover the pastry in cling wrap and rest for half and hour in the fridge

Filling and making up pasties

1. Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl stirring well till mixed through, seasoning well with salt and pepper
2. Take a piece of pastry the size of a golf ball and roll into a disc 10 cm in diameter or so
3. Place a tablespoon an a half of the filling in the centre then fold the disc in half over the filling and press the edges down
4. Fold over the edge of the pasty pressing well to secure and turning in and pressing the ends up to fully enclose the mixture (see picture below)
5. Lift up the “parcel” that is formed to bring the edge to the centre and frill the edge.
6. Take a portion of the edge in the left hand and the next bit along with the the right hand.
7. Working right to left, push the edge up with the left hand and down with the right hand,  the opposite way. Continue all along the edge and this will create a frill. (See picture below)
8. Place the pasties on a baking tray lined with baking paper
9. Prick the pasties on both sides of the frill with a fork
10. Brush the pasties with milk
11. Bake at 200 C for 10 minutes and then lower to 180 C for a further 20 minutes till they are golden brown and crisp
12. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack

Makes about 12 small or 6 larger pasties

Variations:

You can also spice up the flavour by adding a spice like cumin, curry powder, or turmeric to the vegetable mix. Use whatever spice you enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetable Soup

I usually make a double portion and inevitably depending on the size of the vegetables at hand there is mixture left over.

Take the extra mixture, adding 3 1/2 cups water and a good tablespoon of stock powder, and extra grind of pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and cook it all up in a saucepan and make a soup of it.

When the soup is cooked, in about 30 mins or so I add some cooked tubetti pasta or other small soup pasta and serve with some good grated Parmasan cheese and the pasties