Stephen’s Pork Pasties

Stephen's pork pasties

A recipe from Stephen Markwick

Serves 10 – 12

Ingredients

  • 450g minced pork shoulder
  • 450g mixed root vegetables, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes. (e.g. 110g onions or onions and leek mixed, 75 – 100g each of carrot, potato and swede, turnip or parsnip, and about 75g of celery)
  • 3 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbsp each chopped tarragon and parsley
  • 3 tbsp breadcrumbs (fresh or dried)
  • 50g cheese (mix of Cheddar and Gruyere)
  • 1 large egg
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 50g butter
  • 450g shortcrust pastry
  • Egg wash (egg beaten with a little milk)

Method

  1. Heat a pan large enough to take all the ingredients , add the oil and butter and when foaming add the minced pork ad break up with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add the vegetables and garlic and stir well again. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the pork and vegetables are soft (check the swede is cooked as it always takes the longest).
  3. Move the mixture round the pan with a spoon so it doesn’t stick.
  4. Add the herbs and take off the heat then allow to cool before adding the cheese, whole egg and breadcrumbs. Mix in well and refrigerate before attempting to assemble the pasties.
  5. To make the pasties roll out your shortcut pastry fairly thinly, and cut out rounds about 15 cm in diameter ( a teacup saucer is ideal for this).
  6. Fill the pastry with a heaped tablespoon of the mixture. You need a generous amount of filling without making it impossible to seal and crop the pasties.
  7. Brush a little egg around the rim before pulling the edges into the centre around the filling then sealing the edges down to the base on each side.
  8. Next comes the crimping which gets easier with practice! Start at one end with the pastry between the thumb and first forefinger of both hands, then twist in opposite directions and gradually work your way down to the other end.
  9. Next you need to rest the pasties on baking parchment on a baking tray, ideally refrigerating them if you have space.
  10. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ Gas Mk 7.
  11. Brush the pasties with egg wash then bake them for approximately 20 minutes. You may need to turn them after 10 minutes if you don’t have a fan oven. Cool on a wire rack.