Recipes: Ham, pea & mint pasties

Ham, pea & mint pasties

Get nostalgic for childhood picnics with these springtime homemade pasties

FOR THE PASTRY

  • 175g cold butter , chopped into chunks
  • 350g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
  • ½ tsp English mustard powder
  • 1 egg , beaten for glazing

FOR THE FILLING

  • 50g butter
  • 1 onion , finely chopped
  • 200g peas , frozen or cooked fresh
  • 100g thickly sliced ham , chopped into small chunks
  • small bunch mint , leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 250g pack ricotta

    Method

    1. Tip the butter, flour and mustard powder into a food processor with ½ tsp salt and whizz until you can't see any lumps of butter. Add roughly 4-5 tbsp cold water, a spoonful at a time, while pulsing until the pastry comes together. Tip out onto a clean surface, bring together into a ball and chill while you make the filling.
    2. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the onion and gently sweat for 10-15 mins until really soft, but not very coloured. Stir in the peas for 1 min, then turn off the heat and stir in the ham, mint and ricotta with plenty of seasoning.
    3. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and divide the pastry into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece to a neat 16-17cm circle - cut round a saucer or lid. Brush the edges with a little of the beaten egg, spoon a quarter of the filling into the middle, then bring up opposite sides of the pastry and seal. Crimp to make a pasty shape. Carefully lift onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pastry, then brush the finished pasties all over with egg. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden and crisp. Leave to cool slightly, then serve either warm or cold.

    Per serving

    919 kcalories, protein 25g, carbohydrate 79g, fat 58 g, saturated fat 35g, fibre 6g, sugar 6g, salt 1,76 g