These aren't like a traditional Cornish pasty. Instead of letting the filling cook inside the pastry, this recipe involves braising the beef in mulled wine first. It makes it a more time-consuming process, but much of that time is spent waiting for the meat to braise and cool, so you can get on with festive preparations in the meantime.The filling must be cold before getting crimped or the pastry will become unworkable. Both the filling and pastry can be made well in advance, ready to put together when the time suits.
Christmas Pasties
Ingredients
Method
-
Turn your oven to 160⁰C/ Gas 3 to preheat.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large casserole or saucepan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and swede. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until starting to soften.
While the veg is cooking, season the beef and toss it with the flour to coat. Remove the veg with a slotted spoon and keep to one side. Now add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the beef. Fry over a medium heat, stirring often, until nicely browned on all sides.
Add the vegetables back into the pan along with the garlic, rosemary, bay, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and 3 long strips of orange zest. Follow that with the red wine and redcurrant jelly. Use a wooden spoon to scrape and loosen any bits stuck to the base of the pan after browning the meat; it all adds flavour. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Pop on a lid and slide it into the oven for 1½ hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick and glossy.
While the beef is cooking, make the pastry. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter, lard and salt. Rub the fats into the flour until it has a crumb-like texture; you could pulse it in a food processor instead if you like. Add the water and bring it together into a ball of firm dough. Wrap and keep in the fridge until needed.
When the beef is ready, pick out the bay, cinnamon and star anise. Taste and tweak the seasoning to your liking. Stir in the chestnuts and leave it to cool completely. Keep it in the fridge until you want to make your pasties.
When you are ready to go, preheat your oven to 180⁰C/Gas 4. Divide the dough and the beef filling into 6 equal portions. Roll each ball of dough out thinly and use a plate (22cm diameter approx.) to cut into a perfect circle. Place some of the braised beef on one half, leaving a 1cm gap around the edge, and bring the other half over to make a semi-circle. Crimp the edges together. If you want, you can use the pastry trimmings to fashion some festive decorations. Repeat until you have completed all 6. Sit them on a baking tray and brush with beaten egg.
Bake for 50 mins, or until golden brown and piping hot.
