If you follow Mel Hoskins on social media, chances are likely that you’ll see some of the delectable dishes she whips up on the regular. She claims that she’s most comfortable when it comes to baked goods, but I’ve found nearly anything that comes out of her kitchen to be dependably delicious. A few months ago, she sent me the pictures above with the caption: “DINNER!”
“What are those?” I asked.
“I’m going to have to revoke your honourary Aussie status,” she told me.
For our non-Australian readers, those are pasties. The pasty originated from the Cornish area of the UK and travelled to Australia long enough ago that Australians have claimed them as their own. Although a Cornish pasty must use potato, onion, swede and beef, the Australian pasty is highly adaptable and can be made using endless combinations of meats and vegetables.
In order to reclaim my honourary Aussie status, I had Mel write out the recipe for me, and I whipped some pasties up of my own. Her recipe is easy to follow and modify. The final product is as tasty as expected. And I was able to freeze my leftovers for future dinners. All in all, high marks in my books.
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 1 white onion
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon soja sauce
- 2 sheets short crust pastry
- 1 egg
Note: You can put any leftover vegetables in your pasty. These were just some of the ones I had on hand. I also recommend having some spare sheets of pastry just in case you have more filling then pastry. You can also add 400 grams of minced beef if you aren’t vegetarian.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 180ºC and cover a baking tray with baking paper.
- Peel and then grate the sweet potato, potatoes, and carrots. Place in a large bowl
- Dice the onion and place in the large bowl with the potatoes and carrots.
- Remove the florets of the broccoli from the stem. Place these in a separate bowl from the rest of the vegetables.
- Take a pastry sheet and put on the baking paper. Place the filling on the pastry and make even (I like to place the broccoli florets on the top upright, last before covering with the other piece of pastry). Don’t put the filling too close to the edges, you need to be able to seal the four sides.
- Place the second piece of short crust pastry over the top of the filling and join the sides together. Rolling it over.
- Brush the pastry with your choice of milk or egg and pierce the pastry with a knife or fork before putting in the oven.
- Cook until the pastry is golden. This will be around 30-40 minutes.
