15 September, 2014
This dish is a perfect way to use up the leftovers of a Sunday lunch. This week we had my parents for dinner and as usual I made extra portions! No-one in my house is knowingly underfed. Besides I knew we could throw the leftovers into a pasty. Now anything pastry covered is usually my husbands domain, he adores anything with pastry, but I have to admit this was a great way to use up leftovers. Much better than microwaving a plate from the say before, not that there's anything wrong with that (second portion of Christmas dinner anyone?). Yesterday we had brandy bacony roast chicken stuffed with butternut squash stuffing and herby roast potatoes. It was as amazing as it sounds!
There were leftovers of everything and I also had some pastry leftover from pie making earlier that weekend, essentially all you need to do is chop all the leftovers to small cubes and mix. Have a taste and if needed add some salt & pepper and fresh herbs. You could also add cheese, boiled egg or additional veggies depending on what leftovers your working with. For example, if you had some baked ham for dinner the day before you could add a lovely mature cheddar to the mix. If you had some lamb, add in some dried apricots or chopped mint. You can add anything you like, just make sure the mixture isn't too wet or has too much liquid, it'll make the pastry soggy. Any veg that usually keeps and reheats well is fine to use too, for example potatoes or butternut squash. Peas or broccoli probably wouldn't reheat well. If you just have leftover meat or potatoes, just add some fresh veg. Be sure to cook it a little to soften it and allow to cool before adding it to your mix, otherwise it may make your pastry melt!
When your mix is ready roll the pastry out and cut into four sections, place a spoonful of the leftover mix into the middle of the sections. Fold the pastry over the mixture and pinch the edges together to seal. Cut a couple of slits in the top of the pasties and brush with an egg wash. Sprinkle some salt & pepper on top and bake at 180 for approx. 30 minutes until the pasty is golden and brown.
To make a quick autumn chutney, combine the following ingredients in a saucepan:
200g cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
300g tomatoes, roughly chopped
250g red onion, sliced
75ml red wine vinegar
140g brown sugar
Bring to the boil and simmer for approx. 45 minutes until the mixture has darkened and is nice and sticky. Serve with your pasty's or store in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Enjoy!
