Description
These Chicken Cornish Pasties with Butternut and Sage bake into hand pies that feel both rustic and special at the same time. The filling cooks down into a thick, savory blend that pairs perfectly with the warm pastry.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Hot Water Pastry
- 250 g butter
- 300 ml hot water
- 500 g plain flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 handful medium cornmeal or polenta for dusting and sprinkling
Filling
- 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts cut into small 2 cm dice (You can swap in beef mince, but brown it a bit longer so it doesn’t steam.)
- 250 g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 cm chunks
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 cm chunks
- 6 sprigs fresh sage or thyme, chopped
- a few gratings of nutmeg
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 300 ml chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
- In a large pan, bring 250 g butter and 300 ml hot water to a boil.
- Take it off the heat and start stirring in 500 g flour and 1 tablespoon sea salt, a bit at a time, until a soft dough comes together.
- The dough will feel warm and a little sticky at first, but it firms up.
- Tip it onto a floured countertop and knead lightly until smooth.
- Place the dough in a floured bowl, dust the top with a pinch of flour, cover, and chill for about 30 minutes, so it’s easier to roll without melting.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan and cook 1 chopped red onion for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add 4 diced chicken breasts and fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
- Toss in 250 g butternut squash, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped potato, and 6 chopped sage sprigs.
- Cook another 5 minutes, so the veggies start to soften.
- Add a few gratings of nutmeg, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add 300 ml chicken stock and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce.
- Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of flour and stir well so it thickens without lumping.
- Simmer 15 to 20 minutes until most of the liquid cooks off, and you’ve got a thick, scoopable filling instead of a runny one.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes in order not to melt the pastry.
- Dust your counter and rolling pin.
- Divide the dough in half and roll each piece a little thinner than 0.5 cm.
- Use a cereal bowl, ±15 cm wide, to cut circles.
- You’ll get around 4 from each piece, then re-roll scraps to make up 8 circles total. Keep them lightly floured so they don’t stick.
- Spoon some warm filling into the center of each circle.
- Brush the edges with the beaten egg.
- Fold over to make a half moon and crimp with your fingers or press with a fork.
- Make sure the seal is tight to prevent the filling from leaking out.
- Line a tray with greaseproof paper and ‘flour’ with a handful of cornmeal.
- Place the pasties on top, brush them all over with more beaten egg, and sprinkle a little extra cornmeal.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Let them cool for a few minutes, so the steam settles before you bite in.
Notes
Created, prepared, tried, and tested by Gail
