Cheese Spelt Pasties (with potatoes and red onion)
I love these cheese spelt pasties. They remind me of home in a place where you can’t buy a pastie. Imagine living in a country where pasties simply don’t exist? I love Sweden, and it is of course home to the wonderful kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) and semlor. They also do a mean pie. But pasties? Nope. Not happening.
Homemade pastry can feel like a bit of a faff. Especially when it is so easy to pick up sheets ready made. Plus, my most favourite pastry is puff, and I am not making that from scratch.
One of the best things about having a blog is being able to share homemade food. And I dedicate a lot of time and effort to do just that. It is therefore a little bewildering to realise that two of my most popular recipes are made with shop bought pastry sheets. That are not even spelt. It’s a little deflating, but it does make me realise that we all just try to make our life simpler. And cheat pastry is exactly one way of doing that.
So, if you want to make your own shortcrust pastry from scratch, here you go. If you want to make a savoury using shop bought puff pastry, you will love my chicken sausage rolls and savoury cheese and onion slices. You’re welcome.
What is a pasty?
Nearly every country seems to want to take ownership of pasties, so it’s not surprising that the filling varies from place to place. Pasties are pastry filled with something delicious, often meat and vegetables. However, there is only one Cornish pasty, and that hails from Cornwall, of course. Documentation can be traced back to 13th century, where they were originally made by Cornish housewives for their husbands to take down the tin mines. Did you know that the name Cornish Pasty is protected and only pasties made in Cornwall can be named so?
I no longer eat meat, so stuff my pasties with cheese, potatoes and red onions. They are great either hot or cold (I love one straight out of the oven) and make a really filling lunch, naturally served with a healthy dollop of HP. They are also great for picnics, or included in a packed lunch.
Spelt pastry
I’ve talked at length about how much I love spelt flour. Although it can be a little trickier in bread, it is a no messing, straight swap for regular flour when used in pastry. It gives pastry a lovely nutty flavour, but the texture is exactly the same as if you used regular flour.
I often like to use wholemeal spelt in my pastry as this intensifies the nuttiness. As long as you use enough liquid and plenty of butter, you will be thrilled with the result.
Spelt pastry can be used for any number of things. I’ve made my own spelt pastry for sweet galettes, savoury individual pies, and old fashioned jam tarts.
Cheese Spelt Pasties (with potatoes and red onion)
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 500g (4 cups) spelt flour (see note 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- 250g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) butter (cold)
- up to 150ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) water (cold)
Filling:
- 2 tbs butter
- 350g (12½ oz) potatoes (cooked)
- 1 red onion (large)
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce (see note 2)
- salt & pepper
- 250g (8¾ oz) cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 egg (wash)
Instructions
Pastry:
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, mix the flour and salt together.
- Chop up the butter and add to the bowl. Work with the stand mixer (or rub in with your fingers) until a "crumble" texture is achieved. Don't worry if there are larger lumps of butter still remaining.
- Add 100ml (¼ cup + 3 tbsp) of cold water to the dry ingredients. Slowly add as much additional water as needed. You want to aim for a pastry that is slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Roll up in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Filling:
- Pre-heat your oven to 200℃ (400℉) and line a large tray with baking paper.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan.
- Slice the onion into fairly thin slices and add to the butter. Fry until the onion is nice and soft.
- Chop the cooked potatoes into cubes and add to the onion. Fry just until they are starting to brown a little.
- Add the seasoning and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a further minute.
- Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring to evenly combine. Set to one side to cool.
Assembly:
- Divide the dough into six parts of around 150g (5¼ oz) each.
- Roll out each one until it is a rough circle of around 20cm (7¾ oz) in diameter (see note 3).
- Equally divide the cheese and onion mixture and place in the middle of one of your pastry circles.
- Lightly brush some beaten egg around the circumference and gently pull both sides up together. Crimp and push together with your fingers and turn over the edges on both sides to make sure everything is sealed.
- Place on your prepared baking tray and cut one small hole in one of the sides. Repeat with the other pasties.
- Bake for around 35-40 minutes. When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Best served warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
- If you don't have Worcestershire sauce you can use HP or even soy sauce. Or, you could easily omit it from the recipe, if you prefer.
- Because the cheese melts when cooked, you will be left with a little gap at the top of the pasties. If you would like to have more filling, just divide your pastry into only four pieces that you can roll out to around 22cm (8¾ inches).
