Smokey Bean Pasties

Brrr it’s suddenly got very cold this weekend and snow is predicted tonight and tomorrow. I hope it’s not too icy, I don’t want my driveway turning into an ice rink again!

I was out in town yesterday, wrapped up against the cold wind and walked past a pasty shop that was wafting out the most delicious and mouthwatering aromas. Warm, buttery and savoury. I couldn’t help but stop and gaze longing in the window. No, I’m not talking about the popular high street chain beginning with G! This is a proper pasty shop, where you can see them baking off the pasties throughout the day. They do about 10 different varieties, including three veggie ones and my favourite always used to be the three bean pasty in a crisp wholemeal pastry crust. During my student days I used to like treating myself to one every so often, sadly they are now off the menu as I have to eat GF.

I walked away feel a bit dejected, but then remembered the smokey bean chili I made a few weeks ago, of which I had a few pots stashed away in the freezer. I decided to try recreating my favourite pasty at home. I can make my own GF pastry, so why should I miss out on a pasty!?

Once home I defrosted a portion of the bean chili and set to work making my pastry. I added a little white teff flour to the mix which gives a lovely savoury nutty flavour. I was a little nervous about filling my pasties, but I used a sheet of clingfilm to help me lift, shape and press my pastry rounds into pasties, which worked well.

I was worried they would crack and ooze their filling while in the oven, but they behaved perfectly and I ended up with 3 very large pasties. Hurrah! They were so tasty with the smokey bean filling, especially with a dollop of tomato chilli chutney on the side. It was smiles all round for tea!

I’ve since been thinking that you could use all sorts of fillings or leftovers in a pasty format – leftover Indian veg curry with a few crushed Bombay potatoes sounds particularly appealing! You can always make a pie if the idea of individual pasties sounds a bit too fiddly. Haha once again missing gluten doesn’t mean missing out!

Smokey Bean Pasties

Ingredients
Smokey Bean chili or filling of your choice

85g butter

150g gluten free plain flour

50g white teff flour

1 egg

½ tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp water

Method
Mix the flours and xanthan gum together in a bowl to combine.

In a separate bowl, add your butter, (it should be soft, if not blast it in the microwave for a few seconds) along with half the flour mixture, the egg and 1 tablespoon of the water. Beat with a spoon or spatula to form a paste. (Yes I know this goes against all traditional pastry making!) Add the rest of the flour and bring the mixture together to form a dough, switching to your hands at the end. Add a little more water if it seems dry. Knead the dough gently for 1 minute to ensure everything is well combined.
Cut the dough into 3 or 4 pieces depending on if you want to make 5inch or 6inch long pasties.

Roll out each piece of pastry between two large sheets of clingfilm to form a rough circle shape. It should be around 4mm thick.  Peel off the top layer of clingfilm and cut out a round circle, using a small plate or bowl as a template.

Set the pastry circle, still on the base layer of clingfilm aside and gather up any off cuts of pastry. Add the pastry off cuts to the next pasty segment and repeat the rolling and circle cutting until you have your 3 0r 4 pastry discs.

Take a general spoonful of your chosen filling and place it on one side of your pastry circle, about 2cm in from the edge.

Flip the plain pastry half over the top of your filling, using the clingfilm to help you maneuver it. Press down firmly around the edge to crimp and seal the filling inside. Carefully transfer the pasty to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, removing the base layer of clingfilm. Repeat until you have 3 or 4 pasties.

Brush the top of the pasties with milk and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before serving, or transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Freeze or eat on day of baking

Makes 3 – 4 pasties

Note: You can use any filling you like as long as it is quite a thick mixture and will cook in the 35-30 minute oven bake. You could also just make one large pie if you don’t want to worry about making individual pasties. Other flavours could include:
Potato, onion and cheese
Garlic Mushrooms (cooked) with paprika in a thick béchamel sauce
Roasted squash, feta, chili and mint
Leftover Indian curry with a few crushed Bombay potatoes!