The theme for this week’s #SundaySupper is comfort foods. All of the recipes that first came to mind I have shared previously except for pasties. I grew up in a small mining community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There were three major immigrant groups that established the community; English (Cornish), Italian (Sicilian), and Scandinavian. All three of which I claim heritage. Growing up pasties were as common on our table as a hamburger. It wasn’t until I had traveled away that I realized the pasty was a unique meal.
Early mining settlement – Upper Michigan
Mining was a major industry and that’s what lead to the abundance of immigrants who came to the area. They brought with them their cultural and culinary traditions. Pasties were a staple for Cornish miners. The dish is very simple and the story behind its importance in mining is as interesting as the dish itself. Essentially a pasty must have potatoes and onions, other fillings are added based on the person whose eating it and wrapped up in a flaky crust. Cornish wives would make pasties and stamp one end with the initial of the person whose lunch it would be. Entire Cornish families worked in the mines so it was important to know whose was whose. The pasty itself keeps warm for long periods of time but in case it did cool down miners would toss it on the end of a shovel and heat it up over a head-lamp candle. A pasty was always eaten upright without a fork. Superstitious miners claim that the stamped corner of the pasty should be left behind for the “gremlins” in the mine. This is the same end that miners held onto while eating, and as mines often had high levels of arsenic there may be something more to this superstition.
I’ve never had to make pasties because they’ve been readily available. The recipes are decades old and frankly why mess with something that tried and true? MarocBaba had come to really like pasties before his celiac diagnosis and was really sad that he wouldn’t be able to eat them anymore. So when I had to decide what comfort food I would make I took on a gluten-free pasty. I found my aunt’s recipe but couldn’t use the directions as they were – lots of lard and beef fat. I made a few changes for this dish but keep in mind this is a basic recipe. Flank steak and rutabaga are another variation.
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 8-10 Tablespoons cold water
- 1 c water
- 1 c butter
- 4-5 potatoes in 1/2" cubes
- 3/4 - 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- small handful chopped parsley
- 1/4 stick butter grated
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the brown rice flour, corn starch, quinoa flour, zanthan gum, and salt. Cut the butter into pieces and use your hands to mix the butter into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough looks like small peas or a sand like texture.
- In another bowl mix the apple cider vinegar, eggs, and cold water.
- Slowly combine the liquid with the flour, kneading to incorporate all of the water.
- Once all the liquid has been added knead for 1-2 minutes to ensure everything is combined well. The dough should be slightly sticky but not too wet.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cube the potatoes into 1/2" pieces and chop the onion finely. Stir together in a bowl.
- In a skillet brown the ground turkey. When it is cooked halfway add the beef broth and continue cooking until the broth has been completely absorbed.
- Mix the meat with the potatoes and onion, seasoning with salt, pepper and parsley.
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Divide the dough into equal pieces. Using this recipe I made 10 medium sized pasties. Traditionally they are much larger.
- Grate the 1/4 stick of butter into the bowl with the filling and mix using a spoon.
- Dust a work surface with brown rice flour and carefully begin rolling out the dough into a circle. You will need to use flour liberally so that it doesn't stick.
- On one half of the dough add the filling leaving room around the edges to close the dough.
- Fold over the other half to make a half moon.
- Crimp the edges of the pasty by rolling over the dough with your hands to create what looks like a braid.
- Place completed pasties on a baking sheet.
- Once full slide the baking sheet into a preheated oven.
- If making medium pasties bake at 425F for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350F until the crust is brown (25-35 minutes). If your pasties are larger increase the time to 20 minutes at 425 and 40 minutes at 350F.
I’m so happy to share this favorite food of mine with you. I’m even more happy to share the other Sunday Supper’s in this theme. Be sure to visit the contributors for more great recipes.
#SundaySupper Comfort Food |Soups
- Cream of Broccoli Cheese Soup by Damn Delicious
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup by Supper for a Steal
- Kalbi Tang or Korean Short Rib Soup by Kimchi MOM
- Korean mandoo (dumpling) soup by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
- Chicken Noodle Soup by My Catholic Kitchen
- Thai’d up chicken noodle soup by I Run For Wine
- Ditalini Italian Soup by Mangiamo!
- Spicy Black Bean Soup by Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Chicken Chowder by Pippis in the Kitchen Again
#SundaySupper Comfort Food | Main Dish
- Sausage Gravy and Biscuits by Big Bears Wife
- Comforting Down-Home Shrimp and Grits by The Weekend Gourmet
- Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini Bake by The Meltaways
- Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese by Flour on My Face
- Lasagna Roll Ups by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Green Plantain Hash by Basic n Delicious
- Venison Chili by The Messy Baker Blog
- Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells by That Skinny Chick can Bake
- Winter Chicken Stew by Mrs. Mama Hen
- Quinoa, Spinach, and Kale Lasagna by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Baked Oysters and Apples by Pescetarian Journal
- Individual Chicken Pot Pies by Noshing With The Nolands
- Kaesespaetzle {Baked Cheese Spaetzle} by Galactosemia in PDX
- Jalapeno and Bacon Mac N’ Cheese by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Quiche aux Champignons {Mushroom Quiche} by An Appealing Plan
- Mini Mac n Cheese Cups with Pork Shoulder Ragù by Hip Foodie Mom
- Chicken a la King by Girlichef
- Creamy Chicken & Dumplings by La Cocina de Leslie
- Spaghetti Squash Gratins by She likes ruffles, he likes truffles
- Hot Dr. Pepper with Lemon by Kwistins Favorites
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas by Home Cooking Memories
- Savory Slow-Cooked Pork Stew by Daddy Knows Less
- Chicken Roasted with White Wine and Garlic by Webicurean
- Shepherd’s Pie by Small Wallet Big Appetite
- One Skillet Pumpkin Lasagna by The Realistic Nutritionist
- Chicken “Pot Pie” by Diabetic Foodie
- Gluten Free Cornish Pasty by Maroc Mama
- Warm Oven Baked Samosas Stuffed With Sweet Potato & Peas by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Caramelized Onion-Challah Stuffing Muffins by Comfy Cuisine
- Comforting Mashed Potatoes by Momma’s Meals
- Chunky Chili Beans by Mama Mommy Mom
- Rustic Cauliflower and Tomato Gratin by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Basmati Rice with Saffron by Family Spice
- Feijoada Portuguese Bean Stew by Family Foodie
#SundaySupper Comfort Food | Desserts
- Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy by Juanita’s Cocina
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream by Cravings of a Lunatic
- Sour Cream Pound Cake by Mom’s Test Kitchen
- Chocolate Layer Cake by Magnolia Days
- Cinnamon Rice Pudding by Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Smores Hot Cocoa by Chocolate Moosey
- Sweet Red Bean Pie by What Smells So Good
- Pistachio Cake Cookies by The Cookie A Day Challenge
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake by No One Likes Crumbly Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Caramel Brownies by Daily Dish Recipes
- Nutella Shortbread Bars by Baker Street
Pairing Wine with Sunday Supper Comfort Food Favorites! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm(Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite Comfort Food Recipes.
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We’d also love to feature your easy go to recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.
I´ve always liked the title Cornish Pasties, they have such a traditional feeling to them! How great to have a gf dough recipe. The potato and turkey filling sounds delicious!
Thanks for sharing a gluten free dough recipe, I like the use of rice flour. The filling sounds incredible too!
Yum the hubbie will love this.
Twitter: diabeticFoodie
says:
I love the bit about stamping initials in the pastry to know whose was whose!
Wow, this looks so good! Thank you so much for sharing.
Twitter: girlichef
says:
I love Cornish Pasties! Every single time I cross that bridge, I head to the Pasty shop in St. Ignace. Yours sound amazing!
Twitter: SheLikesRuffles
says:
I love the story behind the pasty – so glad you shared it! I used to live in Michigan, but I’m not sure that I ever experienced a pasty myself…they sound pretty tasty though! Love that your version is gluten free…
I haven’t thought about those for a long time. I love Cornish pasties!!
These pastries look amazing, and the filling looks so hearty and delicious.
Cool photo of the mining operation in Michigan. I live about 30 minutes from the border so it caught my eye right away.
Love this dish. I really love that it’s GF. How cool you can still have such amazing food on a GF diet. This is gorgeous.
Twitter: beatepdx
says:
Pasties are so good! I love anything savory wrapped in dough
Your recipe looks delicious!
This looks great! thanks for sharing. I will have to make it soon.
I was raised on pasties but alas am now gluten intolerant and haven’t had much luck with pie crust. Looks like you didn’t include the amount of butter for the crust in your recipe. Could you share how much to use? Thanks for this recipe!
Ahh it cut off! I’ll update it but for now I used 1 cup of butter.
I absolutely love this post! So wonderful hearing about what this dish means to you. . and your family history. . LOVE this! And these look delicious. . I would definitely also eat these without a fork!
I love the story behind the pasty! I’ll have to try this one day too!
Great recipe to make and keep on hand for busy weeknights! Thanks for sharing!
My dad’s side of the family is from England, so I definitely know that she are classic comfort food. They look amazing!
Thanks for sharing the story behind pasties.
Love these hand-held meals!
Twitter: webicurean
says:
These look delicious! I have a cousin with Celiac disease, and I’m always looking for new recipe sources for her–but I’ll probably try these myself too–because of her, I’ve learned that rice flour is incredibly good!
Really my kids couldn’t tell the difference between these and the flour version, and they usually can detect it right away.
Thank you for the history lesson! The pasty looks beautiful and delicous.
Love that you made your own GF flour instead of using RTU GF flour ! Looks and seems yummy !! Would like to link this to my GF page if it’s Ok with you. Just a pic via inlinkz which will connect directly to your blog !
sure no problem!! Link away!
Twitter: thatskinnychick
says:
How wonderful that you were able to make a gluten free version! Who wouldn’t love pastry filled with delicious meat?
My roommate and I will be trying these this evening! What town are you from the UP? We currently go to Michigan Tech!
Awesome!! I hope you love them! Make sure to chill the dough – it’s super important. I’m from Iron Mountain
Haha odd, she is from Vulcan, so close to there. Well thank you and I hope you get a chance to visit again!