Cornish Pasties

Sunday mornings if I ask Julie what she would like me to make for dinner that night, nine out of ten times I get the enthusiastic response "Pasties!". This recipe comes from the Reader's Digest "Grandma's Home Cooking" Cookbook. The cookbook traces the history of this recipe to Pennsylvania in the late 1800's. Pasties were hardy pocket meals miners would take with them into the mines.

This version is a little too delicate to put in one's pocket. Nevertheless, it's incredibly simple, and has a "home cook" flavor to it.

I've never done it, but if your feeling adventurous, you could substitute your "from scratch" pie crust recipe for the store bought. Personally, I think you would be wasting your time. I've made this many, many, times and never have I longed for a better crust.


Ingredients
1 lb stew meat, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium-size potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup, peeled turnip
1/2 cup, chopped yellow onion
2 Tbs. minced parsley
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 store-bought pie crusts
Low-fat (1% milk fat) milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium-size bowl, combine the meat, potato, turnip, onion, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, basil, salt and cayenne pepper.
2. Place 1/4 of the meat mixture on half of 1 pie crust, then fold the crust over the meat mixture, forming a semi-circle. Crimp to seal edge. Repeat with the remaining crusts, and remaining meat mixture. Cut slits in the top of the pasties. Brush with a little milk.
3. Place on an ungreased large baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut each into wedges and serve with catsup or pizza sauce.