Sunday 1 March 2015

Chickpeas Controversial Cornish Pasties.








I may get thrown out of Cornwall for this but I will argue the point that these are Cornish Pasties.  They are made by a born and bred Cornish person in Cornwall, so in my books that makes them Cornish pasties.  They may not contain the 'official' contents of a pasty, but my theory is that pasties were a poor mans food so they were made with whatever they had available.





So as I made pasties for us today I thought I would give you a peak inside mine.  Shhh don't report me to the pasty police! As most of my family is veggie my pasties do not contain 'skirt' (the cut of beef usually used)  They vary slightly from person to person which is why we always put initials on top so you know whose is whose, and mine is made from gluten free pastry which is why it has a big 'patch' on it where the pastry didn't hold together.  They contain potato, grated carrot and turnip (the big yellow ones which you may know as swede) finely chopped onion, grated cheese, some chilli flakes and of course pepper.  Oh and I make them with bought puff pastry!!!  They have proper crimping which is on the side of course and taste bleddy 'ansome as we say in Cornwall.  I like mine with ketchup and a pickled onion, the bearded one prefers brown sauce and a tomato, each to their own.  My Australian cousins who were taught how to make them by their Cornish mum, cut the top off and put butter and vinegar in it!  Now that is going too far :) My dad always had a sugary tea with his pasty, even though he didn't have sugar any other time.  They are the perfect  'fast food' and every town in Cornwall has a pasty shop, but of course they are not as good as home made. Avoid a certain make of pasty sold all over the country (the name starts with G) they give pasties a bad name.

 Legend has it that they were made for miners to take underground for their 'croust' (packed lunch).  They held them by their crust which they threw away afterwards because they would be dirty and even dangerous to eat as the mines contained arsenic which would get on their hands.  Well that's what we are told but of course we know the crusts were left for the 'knockers' who live down the mines.



They have to be big enough to stick out either end of a dinner plate.


My gluten free pasty needed a bit of first aid.






 I'm pleased with the way my gluten free pasty turned out, I seem to have cracked the gluten free pastry challenge.  We are being posh and eating it off a plate with a knife and fork, of course the usual way of eating them is in your hand.

Hope you have all had a good weekend.

Chickpea xx


39 comments:

  1. I like your pasties Chickpea. We make chili con carne pasties.

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    1. I would be chased out of Cornwall if I made those :)

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  2. Replies
    1. Do you make them? A little taste of Cornwall :)

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  3. Yup,I agree with everything you say and you should know.I was not born in Cornwall but have a lil bit of Cornish blood in me from further down the line.Your pasties look sooooo good.Hope you have a good week.x

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  4. Cor! Gorgeous veggie pasty! It looks Cornish to me :-)

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  5. Ha ha, my lovely Cornish MIL used to make me veggie pasties when she made them for the rest of the family. She never did know what to put in them and I'm sure she thought mine was second best without the meat LOL

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    1. Yes I have been told I'm missing out on the gravy!

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  6. I make Oggies and for snacks tiddy Oggies, they are whatever I have surrounded by pastry. The latest were cream cheese with herbs, some frozen spinach, crumbled stilton, onion granules, garlic granules and some pepper. They were delish.

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  7. I make what I call pockets for lack of another term. I use pie crust and fill with ground turkey with onion, celery and garlic browned on the stove top. After cooled, I put together with shredded cheddar cheese and fold over the edge and roll and pinch the same as you. I am definitely not Cornish, and live in Minnesota USA. So would never even imply these are pasties. I do like your idea, though, for a meat free version. Ranee

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  8. I like pasties of any sort!! Actually, I prefer meatless ones! Good idea to put the initials on so you know which one belongs to which person! xx

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    1. My mum always put initials on the pasties when she made them for all the family :)

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  9. We love pasties of all types and have an assortment in the freezer, ready to take out when we decide to have a spontaneous day out with a picnic. If we are having veg crumble, chicken casserole or a beef stew I normally keep back some of the ingredients to make pasties with, make the pasties and then freeze. What I don't do is label them so we always have a surprise.

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    1. That sounds like a good idea, surprise pasties :)

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  10. Because I don't eat meat I've never made pasties before but I like the sound of your veggie version. Might just have to try that!

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  11. They look fab!
    We had veggie pasties last week, made in Lancashire with homegrown ingredients, by a woman of Yorkshire parentage who was born in Devon. I reckon I should call them ' mongrel pasties' !

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    1. Ha ha mongrel pasties, I like the sound of that :)

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  12. They look awesome. Better for not having meat in methinks.

    Jean
    x

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  13. My my, they look gorgeous!! Which GF pastry recipe do you use? I do so love a Cornish pasty and cheese and onion is one of my favourites, so yours would be a step up from that!!

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    1. I made it with 6 oz gluten free plain flour, just under 3 oz Trex, 1 tsp xanthan gum, 1 egg, pinch of salt and a little bit of water. Made in the food processor.

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  14. No that's what I call a pasty.

    luv
    irene
    xxxx

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  15. hello lovvie - i bet, my cornish brethren didn't always have steak to put in their pasties, I think they would have used what ever they had xx

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    1. I'm sure they didn't FQ, I expect they used rabbit and whatever else they could get.

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  16. I've never made pastry and I don't eat cornish pasties, being a veggie - I've never even thought of making my own and putting vegetables inside! If you wouldn't mind, I'd love it if you'd share your GF pastry recipe. Your pasties look so good!

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    1. Hi Louise, the recipe is under Happeninguponhappiness reply, I put it all the in food processor and add a bit of water at a time until it comes together. Then wrap it in clingfilm and put it in the fridge for 15 mins or so. If you are not using Trex, use 3 oz of fat.

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  17. Hey Chickpea,
    They look 'andsome!
    I have never made a pasty. I often say I'm going to, but then I go to Philps in Hayle instead. And last week I had a rather lovely cheese and veg one from St Ives Bakery. I don't eat them all the time, although my boys would eat them every day. I like mine with brown sauce too.
    Leanne xx

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    1. Thank you Leanne, I used to love Philps veggie pasties when I could eat pastry!

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