Courgette, chard, basil, parsley and goat’s cheese pasty recipe
Chef and author of this recipe, Gill Meller, says: "I’ve always loved a proper pasty and they’re absolutely perfect for picnics, but it can be tricky to find a really good vegetable version. So obviously, I’ve had to dream up my own recipe, using chard and chard stalks, courgettes, lots of herbs and a little goat’s cheese, although you could use feta or ricotta if you preferred. I’m wrapping the filling up in a rough puff pastry, which is a little lighter and flakier than a traditional shortcrust. Make sure the courgettes aren’t too big either. They’ll be firmer and more flavoursome this way."
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of chard
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 8 small courgettes (zucchini), sliced into 1-2cm (1/2-3/4in) rounds
- 1 lemon, just the zest, finely grated
- 1 large handful of basil, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- 200 g soft goat’s cheese (or feta if you prefer)
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bunch of chard
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 8 small courgettes (zucchini), sliced into 1-2cm (1/2-3/4in) rounds
- 1 lemon, just the zest, finely grated
- 1 large handful of basil, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- 7.1 oz soft goat’s cheese (or feta if you prefer)
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bunch of chard
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 8 small courgettes (zucchini), sliced into 1-2cm (1/2-3/4in) rounds
- 1 lemon, just the zest, finely grated
- 1 large handful of basil, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- 7.1 oz soft goat’s cheese (or feta if you prefer)
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 250 g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 500 g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 200 ml iced water
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 1 tsp black onion seeds
- 8.8 oz unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 17.6 oz plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 7 fl oz iced water
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 1 tsp black onion seeds
- 8.8 oz unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 17.6 oz plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 0.8 cup iced water
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 1 tsp black onion seeds
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Pies
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 120 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
For the pasties:
- Start by making the filling. Strip the chard leaves off the stalks and give everything a wash. Roughly chop the leaves and cut the stalks into 1cm (1/2in) pieces. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and add the stalk pieces.
- After a minute or two, add the leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain, allow to cool, then squeeze out the excess liquid from the leaves. Set aside.
- Set a frying pan over a medium heat and add half the extra-virgin olive oil. When it’s hot, add the onion, garlic and a little seasoning. Sizzle the onions and garlic for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly. Don’t let them catch.
- Add the courgettes (zucchini), stir well and cook for 15-20 minutes. You want the courgettes to begin to break down a tiny bit and lose some of their excess moisture, so keep stirring them as they cook.
- When they’re tender, but still retaining some shape, take the pan off the heat and stir in the chard, lemon zest, basil and parsley and some more salt and pepper.
- Allow the mixture to cool, then crumble in the goat’s cheese (or your cheese of choice) and gently mix. Keep the filling cool while you make the pastry.
- Make the rough puff pastry according to the instructions below.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
- Once the pastry has chilled for a final 30 minutes, roll it out to 4-5mm (1/6-1/4in) thick. Use an 18-20cm (7-8in) plate to cut out four neat rounds. Put a quarter of the filling in the lower half of each round, allowing a border of 2cm (¾in) around the edge.
- Brush the border below the filling with the egg and fold the pastry over to encase the filling. Crimp with the edges with your fingers or a fork to make a tight seal.
- Brush the tops of the pasties with egg and scatter over the black onion seeds and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Transfer the pasties to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden. Eat just warm or cooled completely.
For the rough puff pastry:
- In a bowl, combine the butter cubes with the flour and salt, then add just enough iced water to bring everything together into a dough full of big pieces of butter.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough in one direction, away from you, to a rectangle about 1cm (1/2in) thick. Fold the two short ends into the middle so they overlap.
- Give the pastry a quarter-turn, and repeat the rolling, folding and turning process three more times (so you’ll have completed this process four times altogether). Wrap the pastry in baking paper and place it in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes (this stops the butter getting sticky).
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and repeat the rolling, folding and turning process a further four times.
- Wrap the pastry again and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Extracted from Outside: Recipes for a Wilder Way of Eating by Gill Meller (Quadrille, £30). Photography by Andrew Montgomery.
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