It's lard from an area around the kidneys, and is softer and creamier than lard from elsewhere. It doesn't taste as lard-y/porky either. It's also more expensive than regular lard.
PASTIE CRUST
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Right, now I remember. I knew it was the best bit of fat for rendering lard. Thinking back on that, I'm pretty sure I didn't buy it. Someone slaughtered a pig and I got the leaf fat from that pig. We may have swapped some snowshoe hares for that chunk. exDH ran a snare line and caught lots of snowshoe hares. We swapped some for veggies from a friend's garden.
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Kathleen
Cupcake
While I had heard of hand-held meat pies, I did not know they were likely derived from Cornish pasties. I looked them up and ooh-ahhed over some photos and forgot about them. My sister and I love the sites that tell you what day of the week it is like "National Corndog Day," etc. So after reading about people discussing them here, and then looking at pictures, imagine my surprise when I read that last week was National Cornish Pasty Week! I didn't get to making them last week, but made them today. I'd never had them before, and so I was starting from scratch. This was the site that gave me most of the instructions, including the basic recipe. In reading it, I thought that I would likely choke as it would turn out dry, so I did make some changes.
First, I made the pasty crust exactly as written on this site. Me, being me, I rarely measure. The result was that I ended up needing a bit more water than written. I also used Kerrygold butter because that was what I had. Similarly, I had some lard leftover from when I made tamales. For roughly the amount of flour I had, I used about a stick of butter and roughly the same amount of lard. Food processor made the crumbs easy and then added water until it would make a ball. It was very stiff and hard to knead, but....I kneaded and kneaded until it was no longer crumbly and held its shape.
When I took the ball out of the fridge, I rolled it into a log, cut the log in half, and put half back in the fridge wrapped up again while I cut the remaining half into three sections. By doing this, the need for cutting into circles was not necessary as I was able to roll it out approximately seven inches in a fairly circular form.
The filling was mainly as written except I read on another site to add about two pats of butter and a sprinkle of flour to keep the juices inside the crust and make it slightly more moist. The butter pats and flour were the last thing added. I also read that there was a need to really make a small dice to ensure all would cook while baking. I used a scant pound of skirt steak that I had in the freezer.
In filling and crimping, it seemed that the dough was too small for the filling but it easily pulled over to cover it. Then it would not crimp. To get the crimps to hold, I edged the pasty with a smear of water, and it crimped right up. My first attempt was UGLY. I'm sure you can ID it from the picture, but it was tasty too.
It took about 10 minutes more to bake than it said in the recipe. I basted with milk and that made the crust delicious, but pale.
Fresh out of the oven, the pasties were like molten lava. However, the veggies and meat were thoroughly cooked and the crust was slightly flaky without crumbling. It was easy to eat straight from one's hand. I'm curious how they will hold up for tomorrow.
I will definitely make these again, and will freeze some next time!
One last note: I've never been good at making pie crush but this dough was easy to work with!
First, I made the pasty crust exactly as written on this site. Me, being me, I rarely measure. The result was that I ended up needing a bit more water than written. I also used Kerrygold butter because that was what I had. Similarly, I had some lard leftover from when I made tamales. For roughly the amount of flour I had, I used about a stick of butter and roughly the same amount of lard. Food processor made the crumbs easy and then added water until it would make a ball. It was very stiff and hard to knead, but....I kneaded and kneaded until it was no longer crumbly and held its shape.
When I took the ball out of the fridge, I rolled it into a log, cut the log in half, and put half back in the fridge wrapped up again while I cut the remaining half into three sections. By doing this, the need for cutting into circles was not necessary as I was able to roll it out approximately seven inches in a fairly circular form.
The filling was mainly as written except I read on another site to add about two pats of butter and a sprinkle of flour to keep the juices inside the crust and make it slightly more moist. The butter pats and flour were the last thing added. I also read that there was a need to really make a small dice to ensure all would cook while baking. I used a scant pound of skirt steak that I had in the freezer.
In filling and crimping, it seemed that the dough was too small for the filling but it easily pulled over to cover it. Then it would not crimp. To get the crimps to hold, I edged the pasty with a smear of water, and it crimped right up. My first attempt was UGLY. I'm sure you can ID it from the picture, but it was tasty too.
It took about 10 minutes more to bake than it said in the recipe. I basted with milk and that made the crust delicious, but pale.
Fresh out of the oven, the pasties were like molten lava. However, the veggies and meat were thoroughly cooked and the crust was slightly flaky without crumbling. It was easy to eat straight from one's hand. I'm curious how they will hold up for tomorrow.
I will definitely make these again, and will freeze some next time!
One last note: I've never been good at making pie crush but this dough was easy to work with!
My one and only attempt at pasties was far from authentic. They tasted great, but were made from store bought puff pastry dough. I don't recall the filling.
I love hand held meat pies, from pasties to empanadas. They are a great grab-and-go meal. I need to make some more, and maybe put a little more effort into them.
CD
I love hand held meat pies, from pasties to empanadas. They are a great grab-and-go meal. I need to make some more, and maybe put a little more effort into them.
CD
Kathleen
Cupcake
CD, these were really good and the website said they are freezable. The dough was a bit crumbly in the beginning, but I kept kneading it and it finally got some elasticity. A good crust.
I also will give that recipe a try too, Kathleen. Especially if they freeze well! These would be perfect for those nights when ingredients are just sitting and staring at me, daring me to try and use them to make supper - I always give in to them and go open up the crackers.
Edit: forgot to mention I originally heard that the crusts were deliberately hard/tough in order to survive the trips down into the mines and that they didn't eat the "handles". I guess that goes along with the tin/arsenic problem mentioned earlier.
ergo - don't feel bad if your crusts are not perfect!
Edit: forgot to mention I originally heard that the crusts were deliberately hard/tough in order to survive the trips down into the mines and that they didn't eat the "handles". I guess that goes along with the tin/arsenic problem mentioned earlier.
ergo - don't feel bad if your crusts are not perfect!
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Kathleen, after reading the recipe a couple of times, I am wondering - as the meat has no fat - is that the reasoning behind the extra butter (and flour)??
Sir_Loin_of_Beef
Chef Extraordinaire
They look like empanadas to me. Very common in Mexico, most of Central and South America, and the Pilippines.
Sir LOB, meat pies are common all over the world! Even ancient Egypt has a pie depicted on tomb walls.
Some are hand held, some are more gravy-ish, etc. etc...
Some are hand held, some are more gravy-ish, etc. etc...
Kathleen
Cupcake
I was afraid that it would be too dry and perhaps soggy. The butter and extra flour created a light coating over everything that kept it moist without being wet. These were sturdy enough to be eaten out of hand even after being warmed in the oven the following night. Again, very tasty. Even the handles were tender enough to eat and not sawdust dry.
