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Stuffed Crust Minced Beef Pasty

Introduction & method

I bought a Cornish pasty a few weeks ago, and as I was munching my way through the inch-thick, tasteless, and hugely fattening semi-circular crust, I though it would be immeasurably improved by stuffing it with cheese, as is sometimes done with pizzas. Of course, you can't even think about doing that to a regular Cornish pasty without the entire population of Cornwall descending on your head, so this is not, in any way, to be mistaken for or described as a Cornish pasty. It's filled with minced beef in gravy. With cheese. The crust is stuffed. With cheese. It's delicious. With cheese.

 Stuffed Crust Minced Beef Pasty Recipe

Make the Pastry


I'm using Hot Water Pastry for this pasty. It's supremely easy to make, and robust enough to hold together if you are holding it in your hands. Cut the lard, butter, or mixture into small cubes and pop them into a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the water and heat the water and fat together until the fat is all melted. You don't want the water to boil. In a mixing bowl, stir the salt into the flour. Add half of the water and fat and mix it in, then add the rest and mix it. The dough should leave the bowl clean. Cover and chill for half an hour or more.

Make the Filling


Peel and chop the onion and cook it in a bit of oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it is softened and browned a bit. Add the minced beef and break it up with a spatula and cook it until it is browned all over. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaves and parsley, peeled and diced carrots and the drained peas. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. taste and add salt and pepper to taste. You want the meat to be in plenty of thick, rich gravy. If you need to thicken it, make up a slurry of equal parts flour and water (a few teaspoons' worth) and gently stir that in. Remove the filling from the heat and let it cool down - it's best if it's about room temperature when you use it.

Assemble the Pasties


First of all, prepare some mozzarella sausages to stuff the crust with. If you have pre-grated mozz, it's likely been coated with a starch to stop it sticking together. So rinse the mozz well to remove the starch, and then toss it in flour and squeeze it together into a sausage. You might want to wrap it in film and chill it a bit before using.

Heat the oven to 170°C (338°F) for a fan oven, 190°C (374°F) conventional, gas 5. Take a circular dinner plate - this will be your template for the pasties. On a floured worktop, roll half of the pastry out into a thin disc. Place it on the plate and spread it so it reaches the edge or overhangs slightly. Cut off any excess. Make 2 cuts across the equator of the disc, about 3cm (just over an inch) long, one cut starting from the left edge, the other from the right. Now cut the edge of the bottom half of the pastry so that it is inset15mm (just over half an inch) from the edge of the plate. Place  mozzarella near the edge of the top segment. Moisten the outside edge of the pastry with water, lift it over the cheese and press it down on the other side. The mozz should now be enclosed in a half-moon of pastry - don't forget to seal the ends. 

Place a pile of filling on the top half of the pastry, inside the cheese arc. Top it with as much grated cheddar and/or mozzarella as you like. Moisten the open end of the pastry, lift it up to cover the filling, and press it down all round to seal it. Paint the top, sides and edges with eggwash (egg beaten with a splash of milk), make some holes in the top with a fork , place on a flat baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. You can turn the tray around halfway through to get even browning.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Stuffed Crust Minced Beef Pasty on YouTube.

 
You might also like these recipes:

French Fries

Beef and Cheese Sausage Rolls

Chicken Kiev

Ingredients & Info


HOT WATER PASTRY
 250 grams plain white (AP) flour
 125 grams butter or lard or a mixture
 125 ml water
 1 tsp salt
FILLING
 250 grams minced beef
 1 carrot
 1 onion
 half a litre beef stock
 2 bay leaves
 small handful frozen peas
 1 tsp dried parsley
  salt & pepper, to taste
 100 grams grated mozzarella
 75 grams grated cheddar

PLUS

Flour for sprinkling. Veg oil for sautéeing.


UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Makes 2 big pasties
Prep time: 20 minutes.
Chilling time: 30 minutes.
Cooking time: 1 hour.
Total time: 1 hours 50 minutes.