we recently held a fundraiser at work called pie-day friday. everyone baked something, we all donated money for charity, and had a great time standing around eating everyone else’s baked goods for lunch.
a number of people promised cakes, so i opted to make something savoury. since childhood i’ve loved pasties – but haven’t ever made them before. so i made these up – and guess what, they worked!
these mini pasties are after the traditional style, with easy-to-find ingredients. the recipe makes small pasties in large quantities – good for a winter party, a pre-christmas after-5 tete-a-tete, perfect for a pie day friday.
* serves: up to 20 people
* degree of difficulty: medium
* make time: 1 hour prep, plus baking time
what
filling:
600g lamb mince
600g potatos
600g carrots
2 sticks celery
1 large onion
2-4 cloves garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
2 branches fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon oil
outer:
10 x sheets frozen pastry (your preference of puff or shortcrust)
1 x egg white
how
dice all the vegetables (except peas) and finely chop garlic.
fry onion and garlic in oil; add mince and brown.
add diced vegetables, rosemary, seasoning and paprika, stir through, turn to low heat and cover.
cook gently for about 20 mins or until the vegetables are softened.
remove from heat, stir through peas and parsley, cover and allow to stand for another 10 minutes.
meanwhile, heat oven to 180 degrees C.
defrost frozen pastry sheets as per instructions, in batches as you use them. Cut each sheet into four.
in each quarter, put 2 tablespoons of filling, then fold in a triangular shape and press the edges tgether. Pinch the edges into a pattern.
place pasties in batches as you make them onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with egg white for a shiny finish, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
eat straight away, or allow to cool and reheat later.
makes approx 40 small pasties.
vegetarian variation: omit the mince and use vegeetable stock.