Pastys

My hubby and I first became acquainted with the concept of the pasty from reading Lilian Jackson Braun's Cat Who... books.  Pastys .(also sometimes spelled pasties, and occasionally known as Cornish Pastys) are empanada-shaped hand pies.  In the Cat Who . . . . world of Pickaxe, they are filled with steak or ground beef, onion and turnip. Turnip is not on either of our favorite veggies list, so I was relieved to learn that the original Cornish version often uses potato instead.  (Early versions used venison, but we're sticking with beef). 

Pastys

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium.onion, chopped

1 medium potato, peeled and minced

4 sprigs parsley, minced

2 tbsp. breadcrumbs

1 tsp.Worchestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/4. tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 c. beef stock

1 egg

4 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. sugar

1 1/3 c. butter

4 tsp. white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  I a large mixing bowl, combine beef, onion, potato, parsley, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, nutmeg and stock. 

In a separate large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar.  Cut in butter using two knives or a pastry blender until mixture is pea-sized and crumbly.  Add vinegar and 10 tablespoons water.  If necessary, add additional water, until you can roll the dough up into a neat ball.  Roll the dough out to 1/4" thick, and cut into a dozen 5" to 6" circles.  Place circles onto ungreased baking sheets.  Divide the meat mixture into a dozen equal pieces, and place one piece onto each pastry circle. 

Fold the circle in half around the meat to form a moon shape, moistening the edge with water if necessary.  Beat the egg in a small bowl, and use a pastry brush to brush egg wash across the pastys.   Bake for 40-50 minutes.

Mom's Lemon Pie

I usually make the lemon pie recipe that used to be on the back of the Argo Corn Starch box (the old one, before they decreased the amount of sugar and egg yolks), and one thing I like is that you make a meringue to go on top, which leaves you no extra whites.

Today, I was in the mood for the kind of lemon pie that has a condensed milk base. I used this recipe (yeah for a filling that requires only three ingredients), which resulted in a half full crust, ready to be topped out -- after it chills for a couple of more hours with freshly whipped cream.

I’ve also now got a whole bowl of egg whites, which I have got to get into the fridge quick, before my hubby throws them out. Tomorrow, I’ll post a couple of ideas for what to do with leftover egg whites.

In case you are interested, here is what the Argo recipe used to be (around my family, we call it Mom’s lemon pie, because she used to make it for all get-togethers):

1 baked deep-dish pie crust

½ c. corn starch

1 ½ c. sugar

2 c. water

5 egg yolks, lightly beaten

½ c. lemon juice

1 tbsp. lemon zest

2 tbsp. butter

5 egg whites

½ c. sugar

2 tsp. corn starch

Mix corn starch, sugar water and egg yolks in saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil (about 8-10 minutes). Reduce heat and continue stirring for one minute until very thick. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter until smooth. Pour hot filling into pie crust. Beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form while gradually adding the remaining sugar and corn starch. Top pie by smoothing meringue over pie filling, making sure meringue touches the edge of the crust to seal. Using the back of a spoon, swirl meringue and draw up into peaks. Place oven rack in the bottom third of a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 10 minutes, until peaks are lightly browned. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Chill for a minimum of 3 hours before serving.