Pasties

Beef and Veg Pasties

Left-over roast beef.  It haunts me!  To minimise amine build up,  it needs to go straight to the freezer.  But once there... it refuses to be eaten.  Pulling out a chunk of frosty meat for a sandwich doesn't inspire me much...  that's assuming I remember it's even there.  I often find the plastic container with 'roast beef' written on it when I'm playing Freezer Tetris, making room for my school lunchbox baking... and then I slot it in somewhere again and remind myself I really ought to do something with it.   What a waste!

Now,  you can do all this chopping in the Thermomix but today I have a head cold and I felt like just standing there,  chopping.  I did the finest dicing I have ever done in my life.  Teeny tiny little cubes of veg.   If you do use the TMX,  I'm going to suggest popping the roughly chopped vegetables in and chopping them on Speed 5 for about 3-4 seconds.  No faster.  Or you'll create a mush.  (Which, you could still use of course. )

If you don't have left-over roast beef,  then you might like to use some freshly minced beef instead. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Swede (about 120g) 
• 3-4 Brussel Sprouts
• 1 medium Potato
• 2 Spring Onions
• 500g (homemade) Chicken (or 1tab Veg stock concentrate and 500g water)
• 60g No-Tomato Sauce
• 20g Carob Syrup
• 2 tsp Cornflour
• 300g Left-over Roast Beef  (or fresh minced beef)
• 5 frozen Pampas Puff Pastry sheets (watch for bad additives)
• egg (optional)

Method:

• Peel and finely dice (really, REALLY finely) Swede, Brussels, Potato, Spring Onions and Beef
• Add a little oil into a large frypan and cook all vegies together.  Try to have a lid on for a few minutes to help it sweat and cook a bit. 
• While that's simmering, combine Stock, No-Tomato Sauce, Carob Syrup and Cornflour and stir until there are no flour lumps.
• Add meat to the frypan
• Add Stock mixture to the frypan and keep cooking on a moderate heat,  with the lid on to help simmer those potato and swede pieces.  After 5 minutes or so,  keep the lid off and the food moving to let the liquid reduce.  About 10 minutes or so.
• While that's simmering, get the pastry sheets out of the freezer to start defrosting.  
• Cut each square, corner to corner, so you get 4 triangles.
• Pre-heat oven to 180ºC and line a couple of large baking trays
• Allow the beef and veg mixture to cool a bit and then use a small spoon to scoop it onto the triangles and using a bit of water brushed on the edges to help seal it.  I think it should be about 3 teaspoon scoops.  Shape it well to cover half the triangle, with a 'hem allowance' and then fold over the pastry and press the hem to seal.  
• Put them onto the trays,  brush with an egg wash (optional)
• Cook for 20-25 minutes at 180ºC, until they are golden.

Verdict:  Yummo!  And Yummeh!  MsD just ate 2 for lunch.... and is asking for more.  She had them alone I had 2 with Pear Ketchup.

Tweeks:  If you can go the Moderate Sals,  you might like to add carrot and sweet potato.  Salt too,  if you need it.  My roast beef was already salted.  One day I might try this all chopped and nearly puréed in the TMX.  Please let me know if you do or have already.  

If you want a Vegetarian pastie,  I suggest you replace the beef with potato and/or lentils. (And tell me how it went!!)