My wife and I took our first trip to England (beyond a layover at Heathrow) a few years ago, and we had quite the culinary (and hiking) experience. On the trip, we learned things like: A. Welsh Honey is amazing, B. Flapjacks in the UK are very different from Flapjacks in the USA, C. If you get Indian food in the UK, it doesn’t universally come with rice as a side like it does in the USA. Of course, beyond that, we had a blast hiking during lambing season in Wales…and we did all the touristy things in London (we walked 14 miles around the city in one day).
Also on this trip, we had our first real Pasties (I had a Cornish Pasty, and my wife had a Spinach and Cheese Pasty). We also found a French Restaurant on the Thames that had mutton on the menu, and as such, we had our first taste of mutton! It was those two experiences in London that inspired this dish…A Mutton Pasty! Once we had that general idea, we decided to load it with veggies, and we managed to turn this into my sous chef’s first positive experience with Cauliflower!
Time: 60 Minutes (plus additional time if making your own dough)
Ingredients:
- Short Crust Pastry Dough (store bought or Make Your Own!)
- Riced Cauliflower
- Mutton (Ground, steak, or roast)
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Spinach
- Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup Veggie or Beef Stock
- A splash or two of Worcestershire Sauce
- Black Pepper or White Pepper
- An egg
Method:
- Prep your Short Crust Pastry Dough if making from scratch, and set it aside in your fridge. If using pre-made, skip this step entirely.
- Prep your filling ingredients:
- Rice your cauliflower with a food processor or box grater
- Dice your Mushrooms
- Dice your Onion
- Dice your Mutton
- Melt some butter in a large pan (cast iron is best if you have it), and when it’s hot, add your onions and cauliflower. Allow to sauté for about 10 minutes until everything softens and begins to caramelize.
- Add your mutton and mushrooms, and stir to combine. Cook until your meat has browned.
- Add in some spinach, and cook to wilt.
- Sprinkle in your flour, and stir to fully incorporate it into your filling mixture. Then, cook for another minute or two.
- Pour in your stock and some Worcestershire, and allow to thicken.
- As your sauce thickens, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with foil. Give the foil a quick oil spray to prevent sticking.
- When your filling is ready, remove from heat.
- Cut your pastry dough into the number of pasties you would like, and sprinkle a surface with a little flour. Then, work one at a time to roll out your dough into circles.
- Arrange a little layer of cheese on your dough, and then add your filling atop that.
- Fold the top over and crimp your pasties, and place them on your baking sheet.
- Beat an egg, and brush it onto your pasties, and then transfer them into your oven.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
