Cornish Pasty (British Hand Pie with Beef and Root Vegetables)
Quick answer
Cornish pasty is a traditional British hand pie from Cornwall, made by sealing raw diced beef, potatoes, rutabaga, and onion inside a sturdy pastry of flour, butter, salt...
What makes this special
- Raw diced beef, potato, and rutabaga seal inside sturdy pastry without precooking, steaming to tenderness in the oven.
- Raw filling sealed inside concentrates meat and vegetable juices into natural gravy while baking
- Tightly crimping the edge is essential to trap juices during the 40-45 minute bake at 200°C
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Rub 140 g butter into 350 g flour with part of the salt until the mixture looks sandy.
- 2 Cut the 300 g beef, 220 g potatoes, 160 g rutabaga, and 120 g onion into even pieces about 1 cm wide.
- 3 Season the diced beef and vegetables with the remaining salt and pepper, then toss gently.
Cornish pasty is a traditional British hand pie from Cornwall, made by sealing raw diced beef, potatoes, rutabaga, and onion inside a sturdy pastry of flour, butter, salt, and water. The filling is not pre-cooked before sealing, so the meat and vegetables steam inside the crust during baking. Their juices collect and concentrate inside the sealed shell, forming a rich, savory interior gravy that makes the pasty deeply satisfying without any additional sauce. Crimping the edges tightly is essential to contain this liquid during the forty-to-forty-five-minute bake at 200 degrees Celsius. Cutting the filling into pieces no larger than about one centimeter ensures everything cooks evenly through. An egg wash brushed over the surface before baking develops a glossy, amber crust. The pasty originated as a practical working meal for Cornish tin miners, who held the pastry by its thick crimped edge to avoid contaminating the food with dirty hands, then discarded that portion when finished.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Rub 140 g butter into 350 g flour with part of the salt until the mixture looks sandy.
Add cold water little by little just until it holds together, then chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- 2Heat
Cut the 300 g beef, 220 g potatoes, 160 g rutabaga, and 120 g onion into even pieces about 1 cm wide.
Do not leave large chunks, because the filling goes in raw and must cook through inside the pastry.
- 3Season
Season the diced beef and vegetables with the remaining salt and pepper, then toss gently.
Avoid squeezing or overmixing, which can draw out too much liquid before the pasties are sealed.
- 4Step
Divide the chilled dough and roll each piece into a circle about 3 to 4 mm thick.
Place the filling on one side only, leaving a 2 cm clean border so the edge can seal tightly.
- 5Step
Fold the dough over the filling, press out trapped air, and crimp the edge firmly into a half-moon shape.
Beat the egg and brush it evenly over the surface for a glossy crust.
- 6Heat
Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the pasties when the crust is deep golden and the base feels firm, then rest them for 5 minutes before serving hot.
After the steps
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Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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