A CORNISH PASTY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 222, 24 September 1943, Page 19

A CORNISH PASTY

HERE have been several requests for the recipe of the real Cornish pasty, and one for the "Cornish heavy cake." So here they are for you to try, along with some more traditional Cornish recipes. Cornish Pasty (Traditional) This was given to Mrs. Webb (of the BBC) when she visited an old farmhouse in Cornwall. She said that the fences of stone were draped with sweet-scented honeysuckle, and the garden was fragrant with lavender and lad'‘s love, besides marigolds and pansies. Over the porch were flame-coloured roses, and from the kitchen window, across the _ sloping meadows, she could see the blue sea. So any Cornish readers of this ~page may conjure up that picture. For the pasty you want good short pastry, some raw potato, and swede (or turnip), and good raw beefsteak; also some suet and pepper and salt. Roll out a round of pastry about the same thickness as for a fruit tart. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Place two handfuls of chopped-up raw potato and swede on one-half of the pastry; then spread a layer of small pieces of meat, Grate over a small piece of suet, and a shake of pepper and salt. Top with more vegetables. Fold the pastry over, pinch the two edges together, so that the join is on the side of the pastry. Brush over with egg. Bake for the first halfhour in a hot oven, then for another halfhour just cooking. If onion is added to the potato in a pasty, then swede or turnip is left out. Leek Pie A traditional Cornish recipe, this, Cut the white stems of 4 leeks into small slices 14-inch thick. Then cut four slices of the green part. Cover with boiling water; leave 20 minutes, Drain the water and repeat the scalding. Drain again. Place a layer of the leeks in a piedish, cover with slices of bacon, sprinkle with pepper. Repeat till dish is full. Cover the pie with short crust. Bake about 1% hours. Lift pastry off and stir-in half cup of thick cream. Replace crust. Return to oven for 10 minutes and serve. Herby Pie (Another Traditional Recipe) Take some parsley, watercress or mustard and cress, onions or shallots (or small quantity of young onion tops) and spinach, Scald and chop these and mix all together. Beat two eggs. Line a piedish with rashers of streaky bacon, Fill it with the chopped herbs; put another layer of streaky bacon on top; pour the beaten eggs over all; add a little water or broth. Put on a thin pastry crust, and bake about 1% to 14 hours, Cornish Heavy Cake (1) This recipe was sent me by a Link in the Daisy Chain who signs herself "Rawhiti." She says her old Cornish friend serves it hot, and that it is wonderfully pinch of salt. No rising. Divide the butter into four quarters. Rub one quarter into the flour, add the currants and salt, and make into a stiff dough with cold water.

Roll out, spread another 441b. butter over, | fold and roll twice; repeat until butter is all used. Finally roll one inch thick, score the surface in small diamonds, brush over with milk and bake about half-hour in quick oven. Cornish Heavy Cake (2) This one comes from Falmouth Women’s Institute. The ingredients are: 1Ylbs. flour, 4%lb, butter-or cream, lb. beef dripping or lard, 2 dessertspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, %lb. currants, piece of lemon peel. To make: Don’t put the butter and lard too fine in flour; after it is mixed with water, roll out/and then roll up and put aside an hour or two. Roll out again, cut across with knife; the cake will then be light and "shaley." Time for baking, 20 to 30 minutes. Cornish Heavy Cake (3) One more-from St. Mawgan Women’s Institute this time. Ingredients: One |b. flour, ¥2lb. grated suet, 2ozs. sugar, loz, "peel, pinch salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, lb. currants. Mix together with milk or buttermilk. Roll out to about ¥Y-inch thickness, cut in rounds, or put on baking sheet and lightly mark in fairsized squares with knife. Bake in hot oven.