Pastys

In London (and all over the British Isles) you find hole-in-the-wall shops where they well fresh filled sweet and savory pastries called "pastys" or "pasties" (Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty)

They are sealed with a filling and served hot. They are fantastic travel food and despite my best efforts I've never made a proper one that held together because I was always using pie crust instead of the proper "short crust" dough.

So here is Alton Brown's recipe for them from his "Pie in Every Pocket" episode followed by my innumerable filling suggestions:

Pastry:
9 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 cups
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 ounces shortening, approximately 6 tablespoons
3/4 cup milk
1 egg mixed with 1 to 2 teaspoons water

EDIT: Forget the food processor.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Add the shortening and knead it into the flour with your hands until it is crumbly. Add the milk all at once and mix in with a spatula until it begins to come together. Add more flour (about 1/3 of a cup) until it forms a soft dough.

Lightly flour your hands and the countertop and turn the dough out onto the countertop. Knead the dough ball, folding over 10 to 20 times. Using a rolling pin roll the dough to 1/3 to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut into rounds using a 2 1/4-inch ring. (I use a juice glass, or a pint glass)

Roll each round as thinly as possible or to 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto the dough, brush the edges of half of the dough lightly with the egg wash, fold over and seal the edges together with the tines of a fork, dipping it into flour as needed. Gently press down to flatten and evenly distribute the filling and snip or cut 3 slits in the top of the pie. Dock pies that are going to be deep-fried, instead of snipping or cutting slits.

To bake pies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place finished pies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Breakfast:

Egg and cheese

Egg, cheese and bacon

Egg, cheese and sausage

Breakfast potato hash (potato, onions, sausage)

Lunch and Dinner:

Bierocks (beef, onions, cabbage, black pepper and nutmeg)

Cornish Pasties (beef and veg)

Steak and ale (essentially my pot roast and carrots)

Brunswick (shredded chicken and vegetable)

Chicken, mushroom, and garlic

Pork and apple cider

Cheese, onion, and potato

Curried Chicken and veg

Curried veg (potato, onion, spinach)

Italian (tomato sauce, mozzarella and turkey Italian sausage)

Italian Chicken (tomato sauce, mozzarella and chicken)

Italian veg (tomato sauce, peppers, mushrooms, mozzarella)

Ham and Cheese (provolone)

Mexican (beef, onions, black beans, rice, cheese)

Mexican Veg (onions, black beans, rice, cheese)

Mexican skillet (chicken, salsa, rice, corn, black beans)

Beef and mushroom in cream sauce

Chicken paprikash (chicken, onions, paprika cream sauce)

Joel’s burgers (beef, onions, mushrooms, blue cheese)

Cheeseburger (beef, onions and cheddar)

Buffalo and blue cheese

BBQ Chicken and cheddar and onions

Broccoli, onion potato and cheese

Chicken, spinach, and parmesan

Chicken Cesar ( Chicken, dressing, parmesan, green onions)

Thanksgiving (chicken/turkey, potatoes, onions, cranberries)

Pesto chicken and sun dried tomatoes

Dessert:

Cherry

Apple

Peach

Sweet potato

Smore (Alton’s Brown’s chocolate and marshmallow)

Stewed fruit (apricots, dates, figs, raisins)

Notes:

-I like to make mine a little bigger than Mr. Brown's. Maybe 8 inches in diameter for folks with big appetites

-Traditionally, Cornish wives would fill one side of the pocket with a savory filling, and the second side with a sweet one with a sealed line between for their husband's lunch