Old Style Cooking Pasties and Crumble

Today I fancied doing some old-style cooking, things I love eating but not always in the mood to make.

I often make pastry with oil but decided to return to lard and butter for these today in the true “old-style” theme. I tend to use what I have available rather than setting firm ideas about what I will make and the ingredients involved.

So both the pastry and the crumble are made using the half-fat to-flour ratio so I will not credit myself as calling it a recipe. Whatever weight of flour you use, use half of that weight in fat.

I used 8 oz plain flour, 2 oz lard, and 2 oz homemade butter.

For the crumble, I added 2 oz of sugar. Any type will do but I buy granulated most of the time.

I used plain flour for the pasties and SR flour for the crumble just because that is what I was using up. I don’t find much difference although I think SR is a bit lighter on the crumble.

As an afterthought, I threw in a handful of oats in the crumble mix.

I didn’t use any gadgets and did this by hand as I was in the mood for some very relaxed cooking. So, a mixing bowl, pastry board and a rolling pin is all you really need.

I do, however, have a circle cutter/crimper for the pasties which I used. That is why they are smaller than I’d normally make.

The water I used for the pastry was chilled in the fridge for an hour or so first. I also run the cold tap a little to get really cold water to put in a jug for this. To have success with pastry the ingredients and your hands do need to be cold. It caused me a few failures when I was young, not knowing this.

I use teflon liners on my trays and sprinkle a little flour on them. I do not grease them.

I used up a damaged egg to brush the pasties with. Waste not, want not.

Pasty ingredients 2 slices cooked bacon diced I used cooking bacon

A handful of cooked chicken, maybe from a roast or deli

1 medium potato, one small onion, 1 medium carrot diced small chunks about 1 cm. Salt and pepper Flour and fat as above. Gas mark 4 until cooked to your liking.

8 oz plain flour, 2 oz lard,2 oz butter 1 beaten egg

Crumble ingredients

Crumble topping 4 oz flour, 1 oz lard,1 oz butter, handful of oats

2 small cooking apples

1 small eating apple

Handful of sultanas if required

About a flat teaspoon each,of cinnamon, nutmeg and garam masala or 2 heaped teaspoons mixed spice containing these spices

I put these in the oven together and they cooked more or less at the same time The pasties on the lower shelf took a little longer. I didn’t time them as I find timings rather unreliable, especially when using the oven for multiple dishes.

Gas 4

Electric Fan oven 160

Electric non fan 180

Suggestions

You can make this entirely vegetarian if you wish by replacing the meat with other veggies or Quorn, soya pieces,or cheese. The lard can be replaced with non dairy spread as can the butter. I just used what I had plenty of which is what is great about making pasties.

Chill some cold water before making the pastry. Mix it and roll it into a ball but do not knead it like dough. Cover it and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. when you roll out your circles for pasties let them shrink for a minute or two before filling them. When they are on the tray, prick them twice with a fork. You can use milk or plant milk instead of eggwash.