Cornish Pasties

If you’re in need of a respite from foul weather and misery, try making comforting Cornish pasties. History has it that these originated in Cornwall, UK, and were popular with miners; subsequent immigration seems to be the basis for their popularity in regions of the U.S. Some sources claim that a miner would hold the pasty by the crimped crust, eat the center, and then discard the crust as it may have been poisoned by tin ore dust from the miner’s hands.
Here are two varieties I just made:

Traditional: beef, rutabaga, potato, and onion
Traditionally, the crust is filled with raw ingredients then baked, e.g.:
http://www.suite101.com/content/british-food-cornish-pasties-a48188

Beef with Caramelized Onions and Stilton Cheese
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beef-Pasties-with-Caramelized-Onions-and-Stilton-Cheese-351530#ixzz1DYFbbbgY

These shown are halved as they were unusually large with 10″ pie crust. Next time I’ll try the pastry on my own and aim for serving-size. Feel free to have your own debate about whether the crimp should be on the side or the top. I used this video as a reference:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iuQMTEYLRM but there are lots of others on youtube involving people recording their grandmum’s version. :-)