It takes more hot water to make cold water hot than it takes to make hot water cold.
Larry Dowd.
Cornish Pasties
Despite having been born in Felling and having grown up in the area, I consider myself to be a Geordie. And like a lot of Geordies - it must be in the genes - I have travelled all over the place as part of my job. During my travels I have stayed in digs from Plymouth on the south coast of England, up to Aberdeen on the northeast coast of Scotland and a hundred towns between. Some of those towns only for a few nights, some for months and some for years.
I once spent three month working on a job in Plymouth and what do I remember? Well, apart from Plymouth Albion and The Hoe, the things that I remember most were the Cornish Pasty shops - In Plymouth the Cornish Pasty shops were as numerous as fish and chip shops were back home. I was working outdoors and after a hard mornings graft, I along with the rest of the squad, would often pop around to the nearest pasty shop and buy a hot Cornish pasty for lunch. They were large, filling and tasted delicious.
Fred Watson.
Cornish Pasty
Ingredients, shortcrust pastry
8 oz plain flour
½ level teaspoon of salt
2 oz of hard margarine
2 oz of lard
2 tablespoons of cold water
Ingredients for filling
8 oz skirt of beef
2 potatoes
2 small onions
A piece of swede
Salt and pepper
A little milk
A small piece of butter
A sprinkle of flour
Method shortcrust pastry
Mix flour and salt in a bowl, Cut fats into small pieces
Put them into the bowl and rub between the fingers
Until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add water and stir until the mixture begins to bind
Then use your hands, knead lightly and quickly until dough is formed.
Leave to rest in a cool place
Method for Pasty
Cut meat into strips and then slice finely
Cut vegetables in smaller pieces, then slice finely and mix them together
split the pastry into two, roll out into 2 rounds, 9 inches in diameter
Place mixed vegetables on one half of each pastry round and season with salt and pepper.
Place meat on top of vegetables, add small piece of butter to each and sprinkle with a little flour
Damp edges of the pastry with milk and fold over to form pasty. Seal edges.
Crimp the sealed edges, brush the pastry with milk and cut two slits in the top.
Bake in a hot oven 425° F, 220° C, Gas mark 7 until pastry starts to brown, Approximately 20 minutes
Reduce heat to 375° F, 190° C, Gas mark 5 and bake for a further 30 minutes
Each pasty it big enough to make a good meal for one person or a light one for two.
