It may seem a bit silly that I’m getting so excited about a hand pie. We do have them here in the U.S., after all. But look at the expressions of unbridled joy when I have a piping hot pasty in hand. It was love at first bite. For all you history nerds out there, the pasty shop in the picture on the far right was one of the locations where William the Conqueror stayed in Winchester. Yes, 1066, Battle of Hastings, when a Norman-French guy conquered England. I geeked out at the pasty shop. For the longest time, I wondered how the people of Cornwall laid claim over the pasty. Apparently, no one truly knows where pasties came from. The pasty somehow worked its way into the English diet hundreds of years ago, then made its way through some Robin Hood stories and Shakespearean plays, and then became popular among the working people of Cornwall. This flaky hand pie definitely has been around the block. According to the Cornish Pasty Association (yes, there is one), a “genuine” Cornish pasty must have the following ingredients:
minced or diced beefsliced or diced potatoesonionsswede (or turnips)simple seasoning
Also, it can only be called a Cornish pasty if the filling was uncooked at when the pasties are sealed. Well, the pasties I made were not genuine Cornish pasties for reasons you’ll see very soon. But don’t let that deter you from making one of these half-moon pockets of gold. To get the pasty experimentation started in my kitchen, I consulted Jamie. You know, the Naked Chef. I got a copy of Jamie’s Great Britain two Christmases ago, and it has taken me a while to crack open into this hefty book of bright and colorful British recipes. Many of the recipe names definitely caught my attention:
Breakfast Butty: does this mean there’s a lot of butter in this sandwich? name also dangerously close to “booty”?Diamond Jubilee Chicken: being the Queen certainly has its perks.Legendary Clootie Dumpling: I misread this the first time and thought it said “Cootie Dumpling.”Bonnie Cranachan: I don’t even know where to begin.
Amidst this delightful cookbook was the recipe I was looking for: Early Autumn Cornish Pasties. As I read the opening blurb and directions of the recipe, I felt like Jamie was giving me a a good pep talk about how I will conquer this recipe. My favorite part of the recipe is when Jamie tells me to “confidently fold the pastry over the meat and vegetables.” To be honest, as I lifted the edges of the dough to seal the pasty, I had serious doubts about whether it was all going to work. I had visions of dough ripping everywhere as the filling bursted through the seams. Then, I remembered what Jamie said and folded that baby with confidence. Success! Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission when you buy products through those links. Thanks for supporting Healthy Nibbles & Bits!
