Traditional English Beef Potato Picnic Pies Pasties Recipes

Steps:

• Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Cut 10 Tbsp. butter into cubes (it doesn't have to be particularly cold, just firm enough to cut into pieces). Work butter into flour with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour 3/4 cup boiling water over and mix with a wooden spoon. Knead with your hands until dough just starts to form.
• Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead until dough forms, about 20 seconds; roll into a ball. Divide into 4 portions, shape into rounds, and chill until ready to use.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix beef, potato, onion, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
• Roll out each round to a 9"-diameter circle on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange a heaping 3/4 cup filling over 1 half of each circle, leaving a 1" border between filling and edge of circle. Cut remaining 1/2 Tbsp. butter into 4 pieces; place on each mound of filling. Pull bottom half of dough over filling; crimp with your fingers to seal. (Alternately, use a fork to seal.)
• Beat egg and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush each pasty with egg wash. Cut a couple small slits in top of pasty. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and bubbling, 45-60 minutes. Serve with butter and ketchup, if desired.

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening. Add enough water or milk to moisten dry ingredients. Shape into a ball. Cover and set aside. , For filling, toss together beef, pork, potatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Divide the pastry in half and roll each into a 10-in. circle. Divide the filling over the center of each pastry; dot each with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Fold pastry over the filling, sealing edges tightly. Cut slits in the top of the pasties. If desired, brush tops with egg. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes. Spoon 1 teaspoon water per pastry in slits. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 15 minutes longer or until golden.

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Grease and line a sturdy oven proof biscuit (cookie) sheet.
• Cut out 8 pastry circles - about 3" to 4" in diameter - a cup is a great template!
• Place the sliced potatoes on 4 of the pastry circles - leaving a 1/2" border.
• Season well with black pepper, and salt if you wish - remembering that Stilton is quite salty itself.
• Place a slice of Stilton cheese on top of the potatoes.
• Place the remaining 4 circles of pastry over the top - bringing up the bottom pastry circle and pinching them together to make a crust - the bottom pastry circle should sit over the top of the top pastry circle as a seal.
• Press the crust with the back of a fork to make a pattern and seal the pastry circles together.
• Cut two 1" slits in the top of each pie - to let the steam escape.
• Glaze the tops with the beaten egg and milk mixture.
• Place onto the lined and greased oven tray and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
• Allow to cool slightly before eating, as the cheese will be very hot!

Steps:

• First peel and cut your potatoes into even size chunks & then boil for about 15-20 minutes or until very tender, but not too mushy.
• Drain the potatoes and add the milk, butter, salt & pepper to taste.
• Mash very well with a potato masher or using a hand-held mixer.
• Mash/mix until there are no lumps left.
• The mashed potato should be smooth but fairly firm and not too soft.
• Heat up the oil in a large roomy pan and add the diced onions. Add the garlic if using with the onions.
• Cook the onions for about 15-20 minutes, until soft and golden.
• Remove the onions and set to one side in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the minced beef, adding a bit more oil if necessary. Stir the minced beef all the time to break down any lumps. Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes until cooked & brown all the way through.
• Add the tinned tomatoes, soy sauce, herbs, tomato puree if using and a good twist of freshly ground black pepper. Mix together thoroughly.
• Continue to simmer and add the beef stock - stirring all the time for a further 5 minutes.
• Take off the heat and add the beef mixture to the onions.
• Mix them together thoroughly & then add the mashed potatoes - mix again well.
• Allow to cool slightly.
• Pre-heat the oven to 220C, 425F or gas mark 7.
• Grease 6 x 5" pie tins OR 1 x 9" ovenproof pie plate.
• Sprinkle some flour onto a board and roll out the ready-made puff pastry.
• Taking a saucer or a large cookie cutter, cut out six x bottoms for the pie tins, just slightly larger than the tins. (Invert the pie plate & cut around it for a plate pie.).
• Put the pastry bottoms into the buttered tins (or on to the buttered plate) and fill generously with the beef and potato pie filling.
• Cut out the lid/s and moisten the edges of the bottom pastry case with water; then place the lid/s on top - making sure they reach right up to the edge.
• Crimp the edges of the pastry with a fork or your fingers to make a seal.
• Cut two slits on top of the pies with a knife or scissors.
• Glaze with the beaten egg (or milk) and sprinkle some sea salt.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25- 30 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
• Serve warm or cold with pickles, chutneys and assorted salads.
• Ideal for picnics, snacks, light lunches & brunch.
• Freezer:.
• To freeze them, pack them with greaseproof paper between each pie in a freezer container. Defrost for at least 6 hours. Can be frozen before the final baking or after being baked. To cook when unbaked, defrost them & then follow the directions above.

Steps:

• For the filling: In a bowl, blend the bacon, beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, garlic, salt, pepper, ginger and nutmeg, mixing well, ensuring not to break the peas. Hold cold until construction.
• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Portion the pastry in 8 triangles, allowing the dough to soften. Next, brush the interior of the dough with egg wash. Fill with 2 to 3 ounces of filling. Bring the tip of the triangle to the edge to fold the sides and seal the pasties. Press the sides down to seal and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

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.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir shortening and water until shortening is melted. Gradually stir in flour and salt until a very soft dough is formed; cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours. , Cut potatoes and rutabagas into 1/8- or 1/4-inch cubes; do not make cubes too large or they will not cook properly. Gently combine ground beef and pork; break into small crumbles. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, rutabagas, onions, meat mixture and seasonings. , Divide dough into 12 equal portions. On a floured surface, roll out 1 portion at a time into a 8-in. circle. Mound 1-1/2 to 2 cups filling on half of each circle; dot with 1 teaspoon butter. Moisten edges with water; carefully fold dough over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. , Place on ungreased baking sheets. Cut several slits in top of pasties. If desired, brush with cream or beaten egg. Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 1 hour. Cool on wire racks. Serve hot or cold. Store in the refrigerator.