Post by La Bestia Polar on Mar 22, 2015 19:19:51 GMT
It is no easy task to correctly interpret the text of the good book, and yet I still feel ashamed. On this occasion I failed to understand.
(serves two)
225g shortcrust pastry
115g minced beef
55g lambs liver
1 large potato
1/2 medium sized swede
1/2 large onion
30g butter
pepper and salt
chopped parsley (if desired)
Harking back to my previous stuffing incident we are faced with the significant question - What size is a typical swede from 1973?
Looking a my hefty half swede and looking at my modest balls of pastry, it was clear something didn't add up. I made an executive decision and used a 1/3 of my swede. A swede that was amongst the smallest available to purchase in the supermarket.
All the ingredients were chopped and mixed together. I desired parsley and so did add parsley (dried of course).
Then came the wrapping. It looks a little daunting. How am I to turn this into the the classic cornish pasty shape?
Despite using less swede I still had to roll the pastry out as thin as a red rizla to even attempt to envelope the filling. The pastry wasn't the right shape. It tore. In fact it was all so daunting that I forgot to put a knob of butter in the first oggie. I settled for shoving it through one of the bigger holes on top. In my disappointment I decided an egg wash was necessary. It may be ugly but at least it would be golden and ugly.
The result...
Oh, try this one.
Well it's edible at least. I opted to eat the worst one hot and leave the other for later/tomorrow. However, when applying the egg wash I had been over zealous and hasty. The egg had dribbled around the base of the oggies and been cooked black hard. Forming a seal that made removing the hot oggies from the grease paper an impossibility without damaging their infrastructure. The thin pastry couldnay take anymore. They would be well and truly FUBARed.
So I ate off a paper plate. Not the finest of dining. I wouldn't be wowing any dinner party guests, but needs must.
VERDICT: Putting aside the aesthetics, not bad. A little bland, with the liver being one of the most flavourful bits. It could do with spicing up a bit. Everything had cooked through well, the pastry was good (it came from a packet afterall). The potato was a bit more cooked than I would have liked and might be better cold. On balance it was okay. This matter of filling quantity needs to be investigated.
(serves two)
225g shortcrust pastry
115g minced beef
55g lambs liver
1 large potato
1/2 medium sized swede
1/2 large onion
30g butter
pepper and salt
chopped parsley (if desired)
Harking back to my previous stuffing incident we are faced with the significant question - What size is a typical swede from 1973?
Looking a my hefty half swede and looking at my modest balls of pastry, it was clear something didn't add up. I made an executive decision and used a 1/3 of my swede. A swede that was amongst the smallest available to purchase in the supermarket.
All the ingredients were chopped and mixed together. I desired parsley and so did add parsley (dried of course).
Then came the wrapping. It looks a little daunting. How am I to turn this into the the classic cornish pasty shape?
Despite using less swede I still had to roll the pastry out as thin as a red rizla to even attempt to envelope the filling. The pastry wasn't the right shape. It tore. In fact it was all so daunting that I forgot to put a knob of butter in the first oggie. I settled for shoving it through one of the bigger holes on top. In my disappointment I decided an egg wash was necessary. It may be ugly but at least it would be golden and ugly.
The result...
Oh, try this one.
Well it's edible at least. I opted to eat the worst one hot and leave the other for later/tomorrow. However, when applying the egg wash I had been over zealous and hasty. The egg had dribbled around the base of the oggies and been cooked black hard. Forming a seal that made removing the hot oggies from the grease paper an impossibility without damaging their infrastructure. The thin pastry couldnay take anymore. They would be well and truly FUBARed.
So I ate off a paper plate. Not the finest of dining. I wouldn't be wowing any dinner party guests, but needs must.
VERDICT: Putting aside the aesthetics, not bad. A little bland, with the liver being one of the most flavourful bits. It could do with spicing up a bit. Everything had cooked through well, the pastry was good (it came from a packet afterall). The potato was a bit more cooked than I would have liked and might be better cold. On balance it was okay. This matter of filling quantity needs to be investigated.