First, some Cornish  Pasty History and Folklore! (Or click here to jump straight to recipe.)

THE Cornish pasty is the original hand-held convenience food with  a pedigree that dates back to the Middle Ages. In the 13th and 14th centuries,  pasties were filled with venison, beef, lamb, salmon and lampreys (eels),  dressed with rich gravies and sweetened with dried fruits. It was a high table dish enjoyed almost exclusively by royalty and the upper classes.

The pasty  became synonymous with Cornwall some 500 years later, thanks largely to the  development of tin and copper mining in the county. Filled with beef, potatoes,  onion and turnip, the pasty was a highly portable, well-insulated and nutritious  meal ideally suited to the grueling conditions underground.  Some miners would  have a pasty with a sweet course at one end - containing apple, jam or  treacle.  When Cornish miners emigrated to work in the USA, Australia, South  Africa and South America they took their pasty-making skills with them. The  tradition continues to this day in many former mining boom towns and  cities. Three million pasties are produced in Cornwall every week with ninety per cent of them sold outside the  county. Efforts are being made to give the Cornish pasty protected status under  European law. It would prevent producers outside the county from calling their  pasties 'Cornish'.

Home bakers argue their pasties are vastly superior to their  commercial counterparts. Opinions vary considerably however on whether to crimp on the top or the side of a pasty, to slice  or dice meat and vegetables and to use glazed or un-glazed pastry. The debate all adds to the pasty's appeal and charm. Like  the Scottish kilt, or the Welsh dragon, it has become a strong symbol of Cornwall  - an edible cultural icon famous throughout the world.

There is as much folklore around the Cornish Pasty  as there are recipe variations. One such tale said it was bad luck for fishermen  to take a pasty on board a boat, but then again I know a modern day skipper that  'loves his pasties'. A very famous photograph from the Nineteenth Century shows  a group of tin miners at 'Crost Time', (meal time), tucking into very large  pasties. Such pasties would have meat at one end and a fruit filling at the  other.  Whatever the truth there is no doubt that the  pasty formed an important part of many working Cornishman's diet, miners,  farmers, or fishermen. With the decline of the mining industry in Cornwall many  Cornishmen were forced to emigrate, as far afield as the USA, Australia, New  Zealand and South Africa taking their pasty recipes with them.   Though  the recipe below uses short-crust pastry, many people prefer flaky pastry, being  lighter on the stomach.

For the pastry (this is for short-crust): 

• 1 1/2 c plain flour
• Lard or vegetable fat
• Pinch of salt
• Water

• Chuck steak
• 2 large potatoes
• 1/2 large turnip (swede)
• 1 large onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water

For the pastry, place flour and salt in a bowl, rub in the fat, until  the mixture is so fine that it falls through the fingers. Tip mixture onto a  lightly floured table top. With your index finger make a well in the centre of  the mixture. Add water a little at a time until it forms a pliable but stiff  dough. 

For the Cornish Pasty filling, finely chop the steak. Dice the potato, turnip (swede)  and onion. You may prefer to slice them. Add seasoning. Mix all in a bowl or to  be really authentic use your kitchen table top. 
Using a floured table top roll out  half the dough to a circle the size of a plate. Make a mound of the filling in  the centre of the dough. Dampen round the edge of the dough with either water,  or milk. Fold over the dough, to make a half moon shape, crimping the edges.  Make a slit to let out steam. Brush with beaten egg to glaze.   

To cook  your Cornish Pasty:  
Place on lightly greased metal baking tray in the middle of a preheated oven,  for around 40 minutes at 450 F. The pasty is cooked when their undersides turn  brown and crisp.