Cornwall on My Mind

After becoming disenchanted with "Weeds" (which I'd been watching on DVD), our local librarian recommended Doc Martin, a British series about a London surgeon who gives up his practice after developing haemophobia (a fear of blood) and moves to rural Cornwall to become a small town's GP. 

The scenery is breathtaking, the characters richly varied and charming, and the many misadventures Doc Martin gets into hilarious! Think James Herriot without the people skills. There are all the eccentric rural folk you could hope for, a smart, lovely schoolteacher as a romantic interest, and lots of unusual medical emergencies. 

I'm one of those people that is susceptible to food suggestions. When a book I'm reading mentions that the characters were eating hot buttered toast, or tea, or whiskey, I have to get up and make myself something similar. When I read The Outlander series, I think I lived on oat cakes with honey.

So, as Doc Martin is set in Cornwall, what else would I crave but Cornish Pasties? Please don't confuse the name with those little circles burlesque dancers wear (and twirl). The word "pasty" rhymes with "nasty".

I found this recipe online and tweaked it a bit. 

In a small pot, boil 2 chopped potatoes and 2 carrots till just tender. Dice into small pieces. 

Mix these with a diced onion and about one pound ground beef.

Add salt and pepper, and some Worcestershire sauce. You could also add a bit of beef stock or dried beef bouillon powder.

For the pastry:

2 1/8 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup water.

Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add butter; crumble with your fingers till it resembles coarse oatmeal.

Add water and stir till just moistened.

Divide into 6 equal pieces, and make into balls. Roll into approximately 5-6 " circles.

Place a pile of the beef/veg mixture in the middle of the circle, and moisten the edges of the pastry with water.

Fold pastry in half,

and press together with a fork (we rubbed water along the edges first, to make them stick).

Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, then at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.

YUM! These are delicious cold, and are perfect for taking on lunches to work or school. We made some gluten-free pastry for Jude's pasties, and he gave them the thumbs-up, too.