How To Make A Cornish Pasty

How To Make A Cornish Pasty

Being Cornish by birth, I cringe when I walk into a store or shop that supposedly sells the famous Cornish Pasty. More times than not, I pick it up, read the ingredients and toss it down in disgust! Strange things appear within the ingredients such as peas and carrots. Then when you read on a bit further, you get a hint of why they have got it so wrong. These Cornish Pasty forgeries are often made anywhere other than Cornwall!

Then there's the pastry itself. Now I am not that brilliant at making pastry, but even I know the Cornish pasty has an outer layer of shortcrust and not puff pastry which is all air and nonsense!

Before we get into the recipe itself let's talk about size. Have you seen those apologetic things in the store or shop? Some of them should come with a magnifying glass so they can be seen! In my youth my mother would often make genuine Cornish pasties for us. By today's commercial standards they were huge! They would overlap the edges of a dinner plate and be around four to five inches across at their widest point! Now THAT was a pasty!

Okay, so how do you make a genuine Cornish pasty? What do you put in it? Let's go for it…it uses old style weights and measures sorry about that, but that's my history…

Ingredients:

1lb shortcrust pastry
6 ounces potatoes
12 ounces steak (in times back it could well have been mutton – it was cheaper).
3 tablespoons of cold water
1 small chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste – personally I prefer a little extra pepper myself.

Method:

Start with the pastry. (I hope you have better luck with it than I do!). If you are not used to such large pasties, roll it out to the size of a small plate and about a quarter of an inch thick (the ingredients above are about the right quantity for this). When I make Cornish pasties though, they tend to be dinner plate size and the ingredients increased accordingly.

Cut all the solid ingredients up into small pieces. The onion should be finely cut. They are not only easier to eat this way, but cook quicker too. Remember to get rid of any gristle or fat etc from the meat.

Mix the now chopped up potatoes, meat, water, onion and salt and pepper thoroughly. (That's another thing I find in those shop or store sold "Cornish" pasties – all the pepper seems to be concentrated into one spot! There you are munching away and then you suddenly hit that spot! I think you can guess the rest!)

Now we start getting toward the tricky bit. With the pastry laid out, use the ingredients to fill half of it in a bit of a pile – unless you want a flat pasty! Make sure though, that you leave about an inch clear pastry from the edge.

Dampen the exposed edge with water.

Carefully (if the pastry is too thin, this is the point at which holes start appearing – I speak from experience!), lift the empty half of the pastry over the top of the mixture. In effect, you are folding it in half.

At this point you could cheat to do the edging. If you want to, then press the edges together with the back of a fork to seal them. If you want a true-blue Cornish pasty though, you will need to master the art of "crimping".

How to crimp the edges of a Cornish pasty. Press the edges of the pastry together to seal them as before.

Now carefully turn the pasty so that the sealed edge is now along the top.

Start at the left edge of the pasty, take hold between the left finger and thumb and turn it so it points along the line of the sealed edge. This is to make sure nothing oozes out the end!

Now move your left finger and thumb over the bit you just turned.

Place your right finger and thumb on the edge immediately adjacent to it and do what I would describe as a lift-turnover toward you. Now go back to the previous paragraph until you reach the end of the line. At this point turn the end inwards like you did previously.

With that all done, make a knife slit in the top to allow air to escape whilst cooking. If you didn't get on with the crimping too well, then we will put it down to my explanation - or maybe you just have to be Cornish!

Brush the whole thing with beaten egg/milk if you want a glaze, but you don't have to.

Place the pasty on a baking tray and cook in a hot oven (about 450F) until the pastry is pale brown at which point reduce the temperature to around 350-370F for about 40 minutes. It is important to get it right as crunchy and chewy ingredients just doesn't make for a good pasty!

Enjoy it and make sure you fly the flag for a genuine Cornish pasty!

Gazpacho boricua

gazpacho boricua

4 red tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped, seedless
1 avocado, in squares
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 cups clam/tomato juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 worcester sauce
1/2 hot sauce
salt, pepper, and cumin

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 2 Hrs. 0 Min.
Cooking Time: 0 Min.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GAZPACHO BORICUA

cut the tomatoes in 4 segments and boil them for 30 seconds; remove
from hot water and place them in cold water for the skin to begin
peeling; peel the tomatoes, throw the seeds, and chop them. Mix the
chopped tomatoes with the cucumber, onion, green pepper, garlic, and
lemon juice. Let it settle for a few minutes; then add the clam/tomato
juice, olive oil, salt, some cumin, pepper, worcester sauce, paprika,
and hot sauce. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour and then
blend everything.

Simple Vegetarian Cooking for Children who hate vegetables

Simple Vegetarian Cooking for Children who hate
vegetables

Everyone knows that vegetable is a great food
that should be included in eveyday meal. However,
some children just do not appreciate the goodness
of vegetable enough to love them. It's a constant
fight between mums and children whenever it's
meal time.

In prepare vegetable dishes for the children, one
has to be very creative in the way of preparation.
The key is to make the vegetable tasty enough
for them or to camouflage them completely that
they didn't even know that they are eating
vegetables.

Here are some recipes of simple vegetable recipes
that is yummy and loved by everyone.

Hearty Vegetable Soup with pasta :
This soup is a good way for children to get all
the vitamins and minerals they need in vegetables.


Ingredients :
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced pumpkin
1/2 cup peas
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup broth of your choice
1 cup tomoto juice
1/2 cup pasta
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp finely chopped oregano
3 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method :
cook onions and vegetables until tender in a
small saucepan. Cool and then puree the mixture.
Return to pot and add broth, bay leaf and tomato
juice and bring to simmer.
Cook for 20 mins and add oregano and season to
taste. Stir in cooked pasta to serve.


Veggie burgers is also another great dish that
are easy to prepare and love by children. Use
vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion
or any vegetable of choice. Mash vegetables after
softening them in pot, make into patties and add
in seaoning. Dip in egg and bread crumbs before
pan frying them.

Tempeh is another great meat replacement in
simple vegetarian cooking. Tempeh is made from
whole fermented soybeans. It is recommended that
it should be braised in a flavored liquid before
being cooked for at least one hour. After
braising, individuals can choose to douse it in
flour or cornmeal and fry it up adding sauce for
more flavors. Seitan or wheat gluten, can be an
excellent substitute for chicken products. Bean
products can also make excellent protein
substitutes in soups salads, stews and rice
dishes.

For A Traditional Irish-American Meal Try Cooking Corned Beef

First seen in Irish-American households in New York’s Lower East Side around the 1880’s, Irish immigrants were looking for something that would approximate the Irish bacon from their native Ireland. They found a cheaper alternative to Irish bacon from their of Jewish neighbors. If you smoke corned beef and add black pepper and other spices you have pastrami.

Many cooks want to copy this traditional Irish-American recipe on Saint Patrick’s Day. Finding a good recipe for cooking corned beef and cabbage that is easy to follow can be difficult, but this recipe is very easy even for a beginning Irish chef. Don’t forget a good Irish beer like Harp or Guinness or try a good micro-brewed stout, local is best.

The First Step In Cooking Corned Beef

Organization is the key whenever you start cooking and cooking corned beef is no exception. First, make sure that all of the utensils and ingredients you need are ready, you don’t want to start looking for that one spice you thought you had. As far as utensils, make sure you have measuring cups, spoons, knives and of course a pan big enough to cook the corned beef in. When cooking corned beef, selecting a cut of meat is important.

Meat Selection Is Very Important

What is corned beef anyway? Corning refers to the way the beef has been cured. Before there was any refrigeration salt was used to cure meat. The salt was placed on the meat in rows called “corns”. Today, beef brisket is cured in a salt-water brine to give it the traditional corned beef taste.

Freshness is important so before you start cooking, make sure you check the dates on the package. It is important to purchase a package that is fresh. If there is a sale on, you can freeze a sealed package of corned beef for 2 to 3 months, just make sure that the package is airtight. Leftovers are fresh for 3 to 4 day after cooking corned beef.

How To Cook Corned Beef

Corned beef may require a long cooking time to make it as tender as possible. Several options are available when cooking corned beef. You can cook the corned beef in the oven, with a slow cooker or even on the stove. Remember, like many peasant cuts of meat corned beef needs to a long cooking time. Because of the way corned beef is processed it may be slightly pink, even after cooking completely. You do not need to add any spices, but you can if you want to. Here are some suggestions, powdered mustard (English), thyme and parsley stalks.


It is important to place the meat fat side up if you are cooking corned beef in the oven. When a thermometer in the center of the cut reads 350 degrees it is done. To make the corned beef really tender, cover the corned beef with water in the pot. Remember, you need a big pot. Expect to cook the meat about an hour for each pound of meat.

Crock-pot cooking is an easy and convenient method of cooking corned beef. Cooking with a crock-pot allows you to cook the vegetables along with the meat. First, place the vegetables on the bottom of the crock-pot. Next, make sure you cut the corned beef in pieces. This allows the corned beef to cook completely. Next add about one cup of water, the cabbage will also add lots of water to the pot. Cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 6-8 hours.

Cooking corned beef on the stove is similar to cooking it in the oven. First, place the meat fat side up in a large pan and add vegetables if you would like. Next, cover the meat with water and bring the to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour per pound of meat.

Like most peasant dishes cooking corned beef is simple cooking. Remember, the original immigrants were living in tiny tenements in New York and did not have elaborate kitchens. Create a traditional family feast to be enjoyed by everyone, cook corned beef.

Fourth of July Recipe – Flag Cake

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup ground almonds
6 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint of fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Sift the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Add in the ground almonds and mix well. Put the six egg whites into a big mixing bowl and beat until foamy. Add in 3/4 cup of the sugar slowly. Beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Put the egg yolks into a small bowl and beat until they are very thick and have a lemon color. Slowly add in the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup). Put the lemon juice and lemon peel into the mixture and mix well. Beat the mixture for 1 minute. Fold the flour mixture in just until it is combined. Fold in the egg yolk mixture. Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Turn the pan upside down onto a wire rack and allow the cake to cool. Put the cooled cake onto a serving platter and cut it in half lengthwise. Put Lemon Filling (recipe follows) onto the bottom half of the cake. Put the top half back on top. Combine the heavy whipping cream with the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Take out 1/4 cup of this mixture so you can make the stars. Spread the rest of mixture onto the top and sides of the cake. Cut the strawberries in half and use them to make the stripes for the flag. Use the blueberries to make the area for the star field. Put the 1/4 cup cream mixture into a pastry bag and fit the top with a small star tip. Put stars on top of the blueberries. Use any remaining strawberries to decorate around the base of the cake.

Lemon Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Put the egg in a medium bowl and beat slightly. Put the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan and mix well. Add in the water and cook over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly until it boils and thickens. Allow it to cook for another minute. Put half of the hot mixture with the egg and mix well. Then add that mixture into the one still on the stove, stirring quickly. Remove the mixture from the stove and add in the butter, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Allow mixture to cool before putting on the cake.

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

This Pyramid, which represents the optimal, traditional Mediterranean diet, is based on the dietary traditions of Crete and southern Italy in the 1960s.
It is structured in the light of nutrition research carried out in 1993 and presented by Professor Walter Willet during the 1993 International Conference on the Diets of the Mediterranean, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid underlines the importance of the foods making up the principal food groups. Each of these individual food groups offers some, but not all, of the nutrients one needs. Food from one group cannot replace that of another group. All the groups are necessary for a healthy diet. The basic products of the Mediterranean diet, in descending order of quantity and frequency advised, are:

Grains: These form the base of the majority of meals in Mediterranean countries - bread (wholemeal or otherwise), pasta,
couscous and rice.

Fruit and vegetables: Meals are more flavoursome when in-season products are selected and they are cooked very simply. In most Mediterranean countries the dessert is generally fruit.

Legumes and nuts: A wide variety of legumes and nuts, such as chickpeas, lentils, haricot beans, pine kernels, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc. are used in cooking. Olive oil and olives: "Olive oil" and "Virgin olive oil" are used throughout the Mediterranean. The former is normally used for cooking. The latter, which is appropriate for all uses, is excellent when consumed raw to best appreciate its aroma and flavour and to benefit fully from all its natural components. The proportion of fats in the traditional diet of Crete
observed by Professor Ancel Keys, was >40 were saturated fats, 3 monounsaturated (olive oil).

Dairy products: Cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products, with no special mention of milk.

Fish: offered as a first class protein, before eggs and poultry.

The highest point of the Pyramid, meaning that its consumption is least advised, is occupied by red meat and just slightly below, but also of little importance,
are sweets and pastries.

Regular physical activity is vital to maintaining good health and optimal weight. Wine can be consumed in moderation,
primarily with meals (1-2 glasses/day). It is optional and should be avoided whenever it puts the individuals or others at risk.

Coconut pudding

Coconut pudding

4 cups milk
1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup grated coconut
cinnamon sticks
3/4 cup cornstarch

Servings: 10
Preparation Time: 1 Hr. 45 Min.
Cooking Time: 45 Min.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COCONUT PUDDING

mix the milk, the sugar, the grated coconut and the cinnamon sticks in a pot. Cook on low flame and stir constantly until it boils.

In a separate container, add the remaining milk and the cornstarch until it is dissolved. Then add it to the previous mixture and stir it. Continue cooking on low fire until it gets thick; continue for 10 minutes as you continue stirring it.

Let it to rest and pour the mix in individual portions into glasses or into a big mold. Put the container in the fridge and wait for at least 3 hours before serving.