Everyone, at some point or other, asks me what I miss about England. Honestly, there ain't much.
One thing that often creeps, unbidden, into the forefront of my mind though, is our pies. A lunchtime Cornish Pastie (pronounced pass-tee), Cheese & Onion Flat or Pork Pie (Growler), a Lamb & Rosemary Pastie, Steak & Kidney or the humble Meat & 'tatie Pie.
You can buy good quality, easy to eat, pre-wrapped pies & pasties at every gas station, corner shop & convenience store in the country. It's the 'driving food' of choice. Eaten hot or cold, they're all good. Even the crap pies are good!
I miss pies......
So, I figured I'd make some.
This is my, gamey, take on a Cornish Flat.
What I used;
1 Pack of frozen, pre-rolled flakey pastry sheets,
1lb finely hand-ground Antelope (Any ground meat will work),
1 large potato
2 large carrots
1 small turnip (rutabaker?)
1 medium onion, finely diced
salt & pepper (LOTS of corse ground, black pepper)
Basil
Thyme
Cayenne pepper
flour for dusting
egg wash (equal parts egg & milk)
Here's what I did;
Pre-heat the oven to 400º
Brown the ground meat in a large skillet & season well with plenty of salt & pepper.
Dice the potato, carrots & turnip into ¼" cubes & boil unil done. Cook the carrots & turnip for 5 minutes before adding the potato to the pot, so they're all done together. You want your veg well done, not crunchy.
Mix the onion, Basil & Thyme & fry in a small amount of oil until the onion is clear.
Drain the meat & vegetables until dry & mix them all together in a bowl. Add the cayenne pepper to taste (or omit) & a good tablespoon of gound black pepper. The pie is supposed to be peppery.
Allow the mixture to cool & thaw out the pastry sheets for 40-45 minutes.
Once the pastry is thawed & the meat/veg mixture is cool, you'll need to lightly flour a flat work surface. Lay out the pastry sheets & cut into 5"x5" squares (quarter sheets, roughly)
Pile the mixture onto half of the pastry squares (a good handfull) leaving an even ½" clear around the edges. Brush the edges with egg wash & cover the whole thing a square of empty pastry.
Make sure to seal all the way around the edges. (pressing with a fork has always worked for me) Cut a 1" slit in the top of each pie to allow steam & juice to escape & to stop the seams splitting.
Transfer all your Flats onto a greased baking sheet & brush them all over with egg-wash. Put them in the middle of your pre-heated oven at 400º for 30-40 minutes.
Once done, transfer from the oven to a cooling rack & allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
They're now ready to eat! Enjoy them hot or cold, with or without sauce/ketchup/gravy (HP sauce, if you can find this English wonder-condiment is perfect!). As your Sommellier, I must insist, however, that they be accompanied by a good, cold, Dark Ale!
Topic: A Taste from Another Land..........sorta (Read 2012 times)
