-Mariel of Redwall, p. 240
Pasties (or savory turnovers) are one of the most popular entrées in Redwall - and for good reason. They're delicious and make a perfect handheld lunch. For these 'crusty country pasties', a flaky crust is packed full of traditional vegetables in a savory gravy. They're a bit of work, but certainly worth it.
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Assemble the ingredients: carrots, green beans, potato, onion, celery, vegetable broth, butter, flour, 1/2 recipe pie crust (there's entire batch in this picture, but you actually only need a single-crust portion; leave the pie crust in the fridge right up until you use it to make it easier to roll), seasoning mix (I use Riley's, but anything such as Spike or Mrs. Dash is fine), salt, and pepper.
For the filling: Peel a medium-sized potato and slice it in half lengthwise. You'll only use one half for this recipe. Hopefully your potato is prettier than mine.
Cut the half-potato in half widthwise, and then cut both quarters into narrow strips, like so:
Set the stack of strips up on end and cut lengthwise. Repeat with second quarter.
Set the quarter back down on it's flat side, and slice lengthwise once again, so you end up with small cubes. Repeat with second quarter.
Put your potato chunks in a bowl or large measuring cup. Slice about 12 baby carrots (or 1 large carrot) into narrow rounds. If you're using a large carrot, cut it in half lengthwise first.
Slice up 1 1/2 stalks of celery and add to your veggie bowl.
Slice a chunk off the side of an onion (you'll want to end up with about 1/4 cup diced onion). Cut in into strips lengthwise.
Cut in the opposite direction to dice- add to the veggie bowl.
You can use frozen or fresh green beans - you'll want about 1/2" cup diced. If using fresh, trim the ends, cut into 1/2" inch long segments, and add to your veggie bowl. If using frozen, cut into 1/2" long segments, put in a measuring cup, and set aside.
For the gravy: measure a tablespoon of flour into a small bowl.
Add 1/2 a teaspoon seasoning mix and a dash of both salt and pepper (about 1/8 tsp. each). Whisk together.
Next to your stove-top, assemble the following: 1/2 cup vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon butter, and the flour/seasoning mix.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then add about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Throw in your veggies (if using frozen green beans, don't add them yet).
Sauté the veggies for about 3 minutes, stirring around with a spatula occasionally, until the carrots and potatoes are slightly tender (check by sticking with a fork - you shouldn't have to press too hard). Scoot all the veggies over to one side of the pan and turn the heat down to low.
Add tablespoon of butter and let it melt.
Once it's melted, sprinkle the flour/seasoning mixture over the butter and whisk them together to form a roux (or thickener).
Now, stir the roux and vegetables together. If using frozen green beans, go ahead and add them at this point.
Then, add that 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and stir to combine (excuse the blurry picture - I caught myself mid-pour).
As you stir, the gravy (or roux + stock) will start out thin....
...then become thick and creamy. Once it's thick (about 2 minutes), turn off the heat and set filling aside to cool.
Next, assemble the crust. Preheat oven to 425 F. Flour your work surface. Grab your pie crust out of the fridge and flour it a bit too.
Roll out the pie crust to an 1/8" thickness (here's some tips).
Cut out two circles, each approx. 7" - 8" in diameter (I used a plastic container as a template).
Gather pastry scraps together and re-roll. Cut out two more circles, gathering and re-rolling as necessary (this is just enough pastry for 4 thin circles). Transfer the circles to a baking sheet or jellyroll pan (preferably one slightly newer than mine).
Crack an egg yolk into a small bowl or measuring cup. Add a bit of water to bring it to a brush-able consistency and whisk together.
Brush egg yolk around half of the edge of each pastry round, like so:
Spoon about half a cup of filling onto each round, next to the egg yolk.
Fold the rounds in half over the filling. Press the edges together with a fork to seal.
Brush the top of each pasty with egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse or regular salt.
Bake for 9-10 min., until the crust is golden brown. If the pasties are browning too quickly on the bottom, reduce the heat to 400 F (I had to do this about 5 min. into baking).
Enjoy warm or room temperature!
If you like, top a hot pasty with a few slices of cheddar cheese.
Yum!
Printable version:
Crusty Country Pasties
Makes 4 Meal-Sized Pasties
theredwallcook.blogspot.com
Ingredients:
-1 single-crust portion of pie pastry
-1/2 a medium potato, finely diced (approx. 1/2 cup)
-12 baby carrots or 1 large carrot, finely diced (approx. 1/2 cup)
-1 1/2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
-1/4 of an onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
-1/2 cup diced green beans, fresh or frozen
-1 tablespoon flour
-1 tablespoon butter
-1/2 teaspoon seasoning mix
-1/2 cup vegetable stock
-Salt and pepper
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 egg yolk
Directions:
1. Prepare vegetables. Combine flour, seasoning mix, and a dash of both salt and pepper (about 1/8 tsp. each) in a small bowl. Set this mixture, butter, and stock next to stove-top.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes; add vegetable oil and diced veggies (if using frozen green beans, don't add at this time).
Sauté veggies for about 3 minutes, until just tender.
3. Scoot veggies to one side of the pan and reduce heat to low. In cleared area of pan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour/seasoning mix over butter and whisk butter and flour together to form a roux. Combine with vegetables (add frozen green beans at this time).
Add vegetable stock and stir to combine. Allow gravy to thicken for approx. 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set filling aside to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll out pie crust to 1/8" thickness. Cut 2 7"-8" rounds from the pastry, gather scraps, re-roll, and cut two more. Arrange circles on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Whisk egg yolk with a bit of water until brush-able. Brush egg yolk around half of the edge of each pastry circle. Put 1/2 cup of filling on each pastry round, next to egg yolk. Fold pasties in half and press the edges together with a fork to seal. Brush each pasty with egg yolk and sprinkle with salt.
5. Bake pasties for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. If they brown too quickly, reduce heat to 400 F. Enjoy warm or room temperature.
