Spicy Beef Pasty and Curry Sauce

Half a spicy beef pasty is served on a bed of thick, homemade curry sauce

If you think about it, the pasty is every bit as variable a concept as the pie. This is my latest pasty recipe, following on from my dedicated pasty recipes page and the previous suggestions I have featured on this blog. It came about simply because I had half a pound of minced/ground beef in my fridge which needed to be used up before it spoiled. All the other ingredients I already had in the house, bar the pastry which I quickly obtained from my small local supermarket.

Flavouring herb and spices are added to beef

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1/2 pound minced/ground beef
1 small red chilli pepper, finely diced (seeding is optional)
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander/cilantro (half for pasty and half for sauce), plus extra to garnish
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound premade puff pastry
Flour for dusting pastry rolling surface and rolling pin
1 small beaten egg
Small (8 ounce) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 teaspoon medium curry powder

Large dinner plate is used to cut a pastry circle to form pasty

Directions

Add half the tablespoon of coriander, the chilli pepper and the garlic to the beef. Season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to mash it all up and mix it thoroughly together.

Spiced beef is added to half pastry circle

Roll the pastry out on a clean, dry, floured surface to a square just large enough that you can use a 13-inch dinner plate to cut a circle from it. Carefully arrange the beef filling on half the circle, leaving a one inch or so border. Glaze the border, fold the empty half of pastry over and crimp all the way around.

Glazed spicy beef pasty is ready for the oven

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Lay the pasty on a lightly oiled baking sheet and glaze all over with beaten egg. Cut a steam vent in the centre and place in to the oven for half an hour.

Curry sauce is stirred frequently as it simmers

Just before the pasty is due to come out of the oven, empty the tomatoes in to a saucepan. Season with the curry powder and add the second portion of coriander. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.

Baked and rested spicy beef pasty

Take the pasty from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Leave it to rest for ten to fifteen minutes. While the pasty is resting, continue to simmer the sauce as gently as possible, stirring frequently.

Spicy beef pasty half is laid on bed of curry sauce

Divide the curry sauce between two deep plates. Cut the pasty in half and lay one half on each curry sauce bed. Garnish with the last of the coriander.

Tucking in to spicy beef pasty with curry sauce