You don’t have to head all the way to Cornwall to enjoy a good pastie - you can make one at home.

This lentil and squash variety moves away from tradition but is super tasty and easy to make. Leeds Cookery School is a cookery school with a conscience because 100 per cent of their profits go to a charity called Zest who help disadvantaged communities in Leeds. They offer cookery classes and courses suitable for beginners and pros. If you want to find out more about them go to www.leedscookeryschool.org.uk 

 

Ingredients

For the wholemeal shortcrust pastry:

• 300g of plain wholemeal flour
• A pinch sea salt
• 75g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 75g Pastry margarine (Trex or similar), cut into small cubes

 

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 100g green or brown lentils, washed in cold water.
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• A sprig thyme (optional)
• 250g butternut squash diced into 1cm cubes
• 1 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

To finish:

• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten for glazing

 

Method:

1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter and trex  into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps remaining. Try to work quickly so that it does not become greasy. Measure out four tablespoons of cold water. Stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together. Do not overmix.  Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before using.

2. For the filling, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and some salt and pepper, and cook gently for 10–15 minutes until soft. Add the lentils and stock, season well, then add the bay leaf and thyme, if using. Stir well, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.

3. Add the squash and simmer for another 20 minutes, or until both lentils and squash are tender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and the mustard and check the seasoning. Set aside to cool. 

4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to about 3mm thick. Using a plate or a cake tin as a template, cut out four 20cm circles; you may have to gather up the trimmings and re-roll them to get your fourth circle.

5. Spoon the filling on to one half of each circle. Brush the pastry edges with a little water, fold the other half of the pastry over the filling to form a half-moon shape and crimp well to seal.

6. Place the shaped pasties on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg. Bake in an oven preheated to 190°C for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. 

 

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