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Many ethnic
groups brought their food traditions to the U.P. In the early 1850s, people
from Cornwall, England, came to the U.P. to work in the copper and iron
mines. With them came the pasty (pronounced PASS-tee). Pasties were hearty,
all-in-one meals that the miners could carry down into the mines in their
lunch pails. The pasty fit into a pie pan in the top of the pail. Hot tea in
the bottom of the pail kept the pasty warm. The miners could also heat
pasties on a shovel over a flame.
Early pasties
had three sections of filling; the first was meat, the middle was a mixture
of vegetables and the last part was fruit. This way the miner could work his
way through a complete meal in one package. The basic pasty today has a
filling of meat, potatoes, onions, rutabagas and/or carrots or turnips. The
meat might be beef, pork or venison.
PASTY
RECIPE
Crust
8 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons salt
3-1/2 cups vegetable shortening
Mix the above ingredients together until crumbly and set aside.
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 large eggs
1 cup water
Mix these ingredients together with a fork and combine with the flour
mixture. Chill for at least 1/2 hour.
Filling
6 cups diced potatoes
1-1/2 pounds diced roast beef (may substitute ground beef or port roast
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced rutabaga
dash of salt and pepper
Mix ingredients together.
Roll a 2-inch ball of dough onto a
floured surface with a rolling pin until it is flat (about 1/4-inch thick).
Place 1 cup of filling mixture on one-half of the dough and add a pat of
butter (butter prevents the inside from drying out while baking).
Fold the pastry over the filling to make half-moon
shaped pies
and pinch the edges together. You can use a little milk to
help seal the edge closed. Make a couple of slashes on the top of the pasty
to allow steam to escape. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400
degrees for about 1 hour. Serve with ketchup or gravy. This recipe makes
12-14 pasties. |
