Eating Abroad...Cornish Pasties

Yesterday was my brother's mission "farewell" and we celebrated by having a big family dinner. He's leaving to serve in Brazil so it seemed fit for us to have grilled meat kabobs, grilled pineapple, rice with pico salsa, and other foreign foods. That's when I thought it might be fun for everyone to post a recipe from somewhere abroad. I think most of us are living with someone who has lived out of the state or country, and food is so unique in every area of the world.

I wanted to post a recipe that Evan picked up when he was in England. Cornish Pasties are pretty much like "Hot Pockets" only they are more of a dinner meal and less of a stomach ache. There can be a lot of variation with them...add different vegetables, use chicken instead of beef, etc. And again, I wish I had a good picture of them.

Cornish Pasties

Filling:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large potato, grated
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1/2 green pepper, chopped

Pastry:
1 egg
1 T. vinegar
Cold Water
6 c. flour
1/4 t. baking powder
3 t. salt
2 c. shortening

1. Combine all filling ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to prepare pastry.
2. In a 2 cup measure, mix egg yolk and vinegar (set egg white aside); fill with water to 1 1/2 cups. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl; cut in shortening until well mixed. Add water mixture. Knead lightly until smooth.
3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface to 1/8 in. thickness; cut into 6 inch rounds (I usually just grab a handful of dough from the bowl and flatten it into a circular shape).
4. Place a heaping spoon of meat mixture on the bottom half of each round. Moisten edge with water and fold over, sealing edges. Place seam side up on baking sheet. Using a knife, cut 3 small slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape...like you would do with the top of a pie crust.
5. Brush with egg white and bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Serve with brown gravy, chili, or tomato soup for dipping.

In England you can turn dinner into lunch by serving food with a chunk of cheddar cheese and a large pickle on the side.