Bacon and Mushroom Pasty
Traditional pasties can lack flavour, but that's not the case with our bacon and mushroom version. Combine the bacon and mushrooms with chopped potatoes and our tried and tested method to keep the filling moist and you end up with a delicious pasty. Reasonably easy to cook and they freeze very well.
500g of ready made shortcrust pastry
8 rashers of streaky bacon
200g / 7oz closed cup mushrooms
2 medium potatoes
1 onion
1 tablespoon of real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of mustard (wholegrain if possible)
1 medium egg
Heaped tablespoon of flour
2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
Salt and pepper
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutesThe preparation below can all be done while the bacon is frying in step 1 of the recipe method.
Top and tail, peel and finely chop the onion.
Peel the mushrooms then slice them.
Peel the potatoes then chop into small pieces (see picture in step 3 of the recipe method).
Preheat the oven to Fan 180°C / 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6
The basic idea of a pasty comes from the famous Cornish Pasty, a mix of meat and vegetables in a pastry parcel. A truly brilliant idea especially in times of hardship. This recipes takes that basic idea and makes an even more delicious and up to date pasty with bacon, mushrooms, potatoes and onions.
Pasties can often be dry on their own so we add mustard and mayonnaise (don't panic, it really does work!) which cooks to a delicious sauce within the pasty. Our cooked pasty will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and also freezes remarkably well. Simply defrost and then microwave until piping hot for an almost instant meal.
No pasty recipe is complete without some discussion as to how the pastry is made. For this recipe the discussion is going to be very short and sweet! Forget making your own pastry, use frozen (remember to give it four or five hours to defrost) shortcrust pastry. Time is often too short for many of us and frozen shortcrust pastry gives excellent results every time. If you insist on making your own shortcrust pastry then click here for full instructions and an excellent video to guide you through the process step by step.
Add the streaky bacon to a frying pan on a medium heat. There's no need to add oil, sufficient will come from the bacon fat. Fry the bacon for about 10 minutes turning it occasionally. The bacon is ready when it is slightly crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan and put it to one side to use later. Leave the bacon fat oil in the frying pan.
Cooking streaky bacon
Add the chopped potatoes, onions and mushrooms to the frying pan, still on a medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and fry for ten minutes. Turn the mixture whilst cooking.
This step will remove some of the moisture from the vegetables making a better filling to the pasty. When cooked, place the mixture to one side and let it cool while your rolling out the pastry. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and stir it into the mixture well. Season well with salt and pepper.
Cooking bacon and mushroom pasty filling
Roll out your shortcrust pastry to about 5mm / ⅛ inch thick (you will need to do this in a couple of batches) and use a small plate to mark out a circle about 15cm / 6in diameter. Cut out the circle and repeat for each pasty circle.
Place some of the filling in the centre of the pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry circle with beaten egg then draw up the edges of the pastry around the filling and press along the join with your fingers to seal the pasty.
Place pasty filling on pastry
Brush the surfaces of each pasty with the beaten egg. This will turn the pastry a lovely shade of light brown as they cook. Place the pasties of greaseproof oven paper on a baking tray and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
The pasties are cooked when the pastry has turned a light golden brown. They taste good when eaten fresh from the oven or after being stored in the fridge. They freeze well although the pastry does loose a little of its crunchiness.
Pasty ready for cooking