Autumn Meat Pasties Recipes

BEEF PASTIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a fourth of the dough into an 8-in. circle. Mound 1 cup filling on half of circle. Moisten edges with water; fold crust over filling and press the edges with a fork to seal. , Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cut slits in top of each; brush with cream. Bake at 450° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

AUTUMN MEAT PASTIES

Steps:

• Brown beef or lamb. Add garlic and let simmer 10 minutes. Drain grease and add to gravy (or use the grease to make the gravy).
• Cook all the veggies however you like best. Use anything that sounds good. I like root vegetables and as large a mix as I can get. Peeled or unpeeled, diced or minced. You want everything bite size or smaller. You want them cooked before you add them to the meat and gravy. If you like them crunchier, just steam them lightly. If you like them mushier, cook them longer.
• Add veggies to meat and gravy. Mix well.
• If you are making your own bread, before the second rise, you need to separate the dough into individual pastie sizes -- When I use the Elevated Challah recipe, I divide it into 16 parts for large pasties, twice that for small pasties.
• I just divide the dough in half, and in half again, until I end up with a size that will probably work. I would guess that a small pastie is about 1/2 cup of dough. A large one is about twice that. Let the bread do its second rise.
• If you are buying prepared dough, make it up as you go along. I've never done it that way, but I am sure it will work just as well. Divide it into pieces big enough to stuff with the gravy mixture. I think mine usually end up around 5-6" diameter.
• Preheat the oven to 375 f.
• Roll each pastie through a bit of flour. Roll out into a circle, about a quarter of an inch thick. Fill the middle with between 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the gravy mixture (depending on the size of the dough).
• Mix the egg white and tablespoon of water. Spread a small amount along the edge of the dough, then fold it over. Pinch the edges closed. It will look like a half moon.
• Another option is to roll out two smaller circles, fill one in the middle with the gravy mixture, and set the second over the top and then pinch the dough closed (it will look like a full moon).
• Score the top of the dough (take a knife and poke holes or cut small lines) and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Very lightly coat each pastie with cream (this makes it brown pretty).
• Bake for 20-30 minutes, until it is golden brown on top.
• I always have leftover gravy mix, which never bothers me. I just eat it as it is.

NEW ZEALAND PASTIES

Steps:

• Sift together flour and salt. Cut in Crisco and butter until a sandy texture is reached.
• Make a hollow in the middle and add water.
• Mix to make pastry, handling as little and lightly as possible.
• Wrap in greeseproof paper and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Roll out pastry to approx 1/8" thick, and cut into 5" rounds.
• Moisten the filling with a little water and place a generous spoonful in the middle of each round, making sure it's in a pile and not flattened out.
• moisten edges with beaten egg, fold in half and flute the edges to seal.
• Brush pasties with beaten egg and bake 275F for 45 minutes to 1 hour until nicely browned.

BEEF PASTIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. If using shop-bought pastry, take it out of the fridge to reach room temperature while you prepare the vegetables and meat.
• Peel and roughly chop the potatoes, onion and swede into ¼cm cubes. Trim the beef of any fat or sinew, then cut into small strips and chunks. Season well and divide both the meat and vegetables into six equally sized portions.
• Roll the pastry into a log and cut into six equal pieces. Knead and lightly stretch or roll each piece into 20cm-wide circles. Layer on the beef and veg, slightly to one side. Keep harder textures like swede in the middle, followed by potato then beef towards the edges. This will prevent anything piercing the dough when crimping.
• Add two knobs of the butter per pasty and a light sprinkling of flour to thicken the gravy inside and prevent soggy bottoms. Lightly wet your fingertips and dampen the edges of each pasty, then gently fold one end over the filling to enclose it. Keeping your fingers slightly damp, crimp the edges.
• Put the pasties on a baking tray covered with a sheet of baking parchment, then cut two small slits into the top of each. Brush with beaten egg and cook for 10-15 mins. When starting to brown, turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and cook for further 45 mins until golden. Leave to cool for at least 10 mins before serving.

BEEF PASTIES (MEAT PIES)

Steps:

• In a casserole, mix the cut-up sirloin steak, the peas and carrots, hash browns, minced onion, brown gravy mix, water, bay leaf and water. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours, or until meat is very tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper and any herbs you enjoy. Cool for at least an hour.
• Preheat oven to 375.
• Let pie crusts sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Cut each crust into halves. Put the cooled meat mixture on half of a half-circle, fold the top over and seal (using water on the edges). This will make a little pie package. cut a few slits on the top. Do this with all the crusts. Place on a cookie sheet coated with non-stick spray. Brush a bit of milk over each pastie. Place in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until crust is golden.