A recipe from a friend's mother to make these savory meat-filled
pastries that look like diplodocus/brontasauruses sans head, tail and legs. We like to make a big batch of them, eat some fresh out of the oven and freeze the rest in a big zip-top bag. To reheat, thaw (preferably) in the fridge and then bake in a preheated oven (about 375F) till sizzling.
Filling
1 lb ground beef
5 -6 small potatoes, boiled and diced
1/3 cup frozen carrots and peas (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
Salt, pepper
1 cup beef stock
Oyster sauce, soya sauce
Worchestershire sauce
Parsley - fresh or dried
Flour
Method
Season beef with Worchestershire, oyster and soya sauces.
Fry onions till limp.
Brown beef in skillet with onions and drain fat.
Add potatoes, carrots and peas.
Dissolve flour in beef stock and add to mixture to thicken.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add parsley to taste.
Cool.
Pastry
800 g all-purpose flour
500g butter
1/2 tsp salt
Very cold water
1 egg, beaten (to glaze)
Method
Mix salt and flour in large bowl.
Cut butter into small pieces with pastry blender or knife into flour mixture, rubbing in with fingertips till mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add just sufficient cold water 1 tbsp at a time to bind dough together.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for half an hour.
Roll out dough on floured surface to quarter inch thick and cut out circles about 4.5-5" diameter.
Place 2 tbsp of filling in the middle of each circle, wet circumference of circle with water and bring both sides of circle up over the filling to seal in an upright semicircle shape.
Glaze pasties on baking sheet with beaten egg.
Bake at 450F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Makes about 30 pasties.
