You might think Luigi was being a bit cheeky. But he was absolutely right! I smiled at the young girl as she leaned over her counter, smiling down at Luigi. I couldn’t agree more. Her Pasties looked magnificent!.. .
Nope! You couldn’t deny it - there they were, two warm, firm, inviting, golden mounds of what any hard-working man would just love to get his hands on. A veritable feast for a cold winter’s day.
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Hold on. Now hold on just a second, before any of you start getting all stroppy. I can hear that sharp inhaling breath of disbelief all the way across the Atlantic. You silly beans - I’m not talking about those things women sometimes put on their, …er…um…knee caps. I’m referring to yet another great British Institution called the Pasty, or pasties to be plural. (pronounced ‘pah-stee’).
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These delectable feasts date back to the reign of King Henry III in the 13th century. Originally a standard of sustenance among the aristocracy, this simple melange of meat and vegetables, nestled snugly into its own bread casing was the forerunner to the noble sandwich.
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Just as with so many other things, as soon as the hoi polloi found interest in the simple pasty, the ‘haut monde’ quickly moved on to more ‘exotic’ ideas such as sushi and George Foreman Grills. But for centuries we commoners have stuck with it. Long live the pasty!
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Down in Cornwall, our most southern point on the British Mainland, the perpetually taxed miner’s housewife was constantly challenged over what she could put in her hubby’s lunch box, especially the ones who worked deep-down in the tin mines. These poor chaps faced a myriad of daily challenges. Not only did they have to work hundreds of metres beneath the earth, in hot, dark, wet and dangerous conditions, they had virtually nowhere to wash their hands.
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The work was gruelling and exceptionally dangerous. Children as young as twelve worked along side grown men in an environment where the air was so sparse that many of the miners preferred to blow out their candles and work in the pitch dark. The miners hands became saturated with caustic derivatives such as arsenic, as did their lungs.
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In what I can only describe as the All Recipes version of the 14th century, called parish-hall gatherings, an innovative wife decided to take one of her fruit pie crusts, place a small part of that evening’s meat and drippings, adding a few vegetables, and placing it in the middle of the crust, then folding the crust over and crimping the edges. Voila!
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Other housewives quickly caught on and their creativity blossomed. It was soon discovered that not only could their somewhat thicker crusts hold meats and vegetables, but they could accommodate a smattering of gravy as well. There were no lifts or ‘gigs’ to carry the miners back to the surface. They had to ascend and descend ladders hundreds of meters deep. So it was a given that their lunch breaks would often be in the dark deep in the bowels of the earth.
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The humble pasty became an all-in-one feast and no doubt brought both physical and emotional comfort to the miners.
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Whilst the crimping styles of each housewife varied, some feeling it was best to crimp their crust on the side, others crimped their pastry on the top as if they were turning the pasty into a vessel. There were often competitions as to who had the best pasty. And a large number of pasties that went down the mines, featured the initials of the miner designed into the crust.
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This is for one very understandable reason. These hard working young men, who focused on survival and the task at hand, had one other thing that constantly haunted almost every miner’s thoughts. Knockers!
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Indeed, a tea-break beneath the earth would have included a broad range of discussion topics, but without a doubt the mention of Knockers would always weave its way into the discussion.
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No, this isn’t a crass euphemism for pasties. It’s actually a reference to the mythical imps that haunt the mines. The term knockers relates to the sounds often heard in the mines: the sound of wooden beams used to shore up the tunnels, cracking under the weight of the earth and the sound of cracking stone as an imminent warning that the tunnel is about to collapse.
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Knockers in England, or ‘Bucca’ as the Cornish pronounce it, is the equivalent of an Irish leprechaun or Hawaiian Menehune and are described as mischief creating characters who steal a miners lunch or hides their tools. Having their initials on their pasty helped the miners identify their rightful pasty in case the ‘knockers’ walked away with it.
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There’s a constant debate over what represents a true Cornish Pasty. To traditionalists and particularly to Cornish traditionalists, it represents a ‘D’ or half moon shaped pastry with the crimping on the side – never anywhere else, with the contents being rough cuts of meat, onion, swede, and pepper, with some optional clotted cream.
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So adamant are the Cornish people to protect their tradition that in 1993 they sought PGS or Protected Geographical Status from the European Union. PGS protects the brand from being produced elsewhere and represented as an original.
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I suppose to protect my back I should probably provide you with the precise recipe as published by this venerable organisation. Accordingly, you may find it HERE.
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I must confess I LOVE pasties. However, in the same breath I must confess I never use Swedes; I love carrots and my creativity in making pasties runs from our house favourite: Creamed Chicken Pasties (Although this description may make some of you gag - just imagine Stouffer’s Creamed Chicken with a few small additions, inside a pasty), my taco pasty, with a soured cream dip, and my Cinnamon Apple Pasty - another house favourite. I tried making a Peach and Creamed Cheese Pasty last summer but have retired further attempts until such time as I either come to my senses or those who ate it recover!
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‘So Luigi,’ I asked, ‘whose pasties are better, mine or those from the girl at Paddington.’ I didn’t understand a word he said. He was now on his third pastie and we were getting concerned we’d never get him out of the dining room!
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I think he’ll be dreaming of both pasties AND knockers tonight!
Father Bill’s Nice Little Pasties
My legal disclaimer: This is MY recipe – no one else’s. I don’t like Cornish pasties, I prefer my own. I love the Swedish but hate swedes, I use carrots instead and I’m constantly experimenting with adding other things in my pasties as well. SO there Cornwall, if you don’t like it – sue me!
What you’ll need: (To make four pasties)
For Your Filling
1 peeled medium potato, about 6 ounces
6 oz finely chopped carrots
15 oz well-marbled steak, cut into small cubes
1 large Vidalia or Chilean sweet onion, finely chopped
White pepper
Soya Sauce or similar
For Your Pastry
2 cups (16oz) 00 grade (or sifted) plain flour
3 ½ oz Danish salted butter, chilled & cut into small ½ cm cubes
3 ½ oz Crisco (pre chilled in fridge & cubed) I know you guys LOVE Crisco!
Milk or beaten egg, to glaze
Small glass of almost frozen water
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After cubing my steak I sprinkle a bit of soy sauce on it and allow it to marinate. I occasionally use Worcestershire sauce or a product called Maggi instead. Not certain whether you can get this in the states. The sauce contributes significantly to the overall flavour of the pasty.
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Make your pastry first. Season and sift your flour into a large bowl. Intersperse adding the butter and lard into the flower with a round-bladed knife until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with 6-7 tablespoons of the chilled water (or just enough to bind the dough) and draw the mixture together. I use the same knife to do this. (creature of habit and lazy!)
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On a floured surface, knead the dough to bring it together then wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
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Once the pasty is chilled divide it into four equal pieces. I always use short strokes, rolling in one direction until my pastry is about as thick as a £1 coin. (I ‘think’ that’s about the same as two american nickels.)I roll the pastry until it’s as round as a tea cup saucer (approximately 20cm or just under 9in). You can save any trimmings for decorations such as adding your initials.
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Divide up your ingredients into 4 separate groups. Arrange approximately half the potatoes and onions atop the centre of the pastry. Then add the steak and diced carrots then the rest of the potato and onion. Season each layer with pepper to taste. I tend not to use salt very often but feel free to do so to your own taste.
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Lightly brush the edge of the pastry with water then carefully lift up the edges to the centre to cover the filling. Pinch or crimp the pastry edges together. I tend to gently roll the edge over with my thumb and forefinger. Depending on ingredient preferences from family I use initials to identify which pastry contains what.
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Place finished pastries on a baking sheet and pop in fridge for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to Gas mark 7 or 430 F.
While pasties are chilling, preheat oven to Gas mark 7 or 430F.
Remove chilled pasties from fridge and brush with milk or egg as desired.
Place in oven and bake for ten minutes at 430F.
After ten minutes, reduce oven temp to Gas mark 4 or 350F. Cook for an additional 45 minutes.
Rantings: I also like adding several pinches of Herb de Provence (with lavender), but this is not to everyone’s taste. Both the use of salt and the soy sauce I’ve described are personal preferences. If you prefer more gravy consider adding either a small nob of butter or even better – clotted cream. We only use Danish butter in our home. I’m not certain what the equivalent is in the states but the thought is that the whiter the butter the lower the cholesterol potential. We do not use margarines of any sort due to their chemical levels.
My Sweet Thing
For a sweet version make your pastry using 5oz Danish butter and 2oz Crisco (Crisco is not available in the UK so we use Flora white). To the flour mixture add 1oz of Caster or super-fine sugar. For the filling use your standard apple pie filling recipe or my rather confused English/Moldovan recipe of 2 ½ cups of peeled, cored and sliced Bramley apples, distributed evenly among your rolled pastry discs, premix 1oz light brown muscovado sugar, a pinch of ground clove, nutmeg, and a half-teaspoon of cinnamon. After sealing and chilling, cook in a preheated oven at gas mark 4 or 350F for 40 minutes. Serve with clotted cream or ice cream.
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More Rantings: I prefer to melt a half-tablespoon of butter then add the nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and brown sugar together and drizzle it among the apple slices. However, I realise many people prefer not to have the additional cholesterol so I omitted it from my standard recipe.Posted from Fr Bill's Collection TH
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