These little pasties are inspired by the delicious spiced beef pastries from Sabrina Ghayour’s excellent Persiana cookbook, crossed with some traditional Spanish beef and olive empanadas. If you’re looking for something more interesting and summery to do with mince than another chilli or spag bol, give them a try, they would be excellent for a picnic and are very easy.
- Good splash of olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 500g minced beef
- bunch of fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped
- 1/3 of a jar of pitted green olives, roughly chopped
- 1 packet ready roll puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
Makes 8-12 small pastries.
1. Put the spice seeds in a dry non-stick pan over a medium heat and toast them lightly. Shake the pan to stop them burning, and when you start to smell the oils (probably just a minute or two) take them off the heat and tip into a pestle and mortar. Grind fairly finely.
2. Heat the olive oil in a non stick frying pan or saute pan, and saute the onions for a couple of minutes. Tip in the beef, and cook stirring regularly to break up any big lumps and help most of the excess moisture evaporate off. You want the mixture fairly dry, but obviously not burnt! When it’s nearly done, stir in the spices and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Allow the mixture to cool, then stir in the olives and chopped herbs.
4. Unroll the pastry and roll it slightly thinner. Cut it into 8-12 squares (depending just how big your roll is). Place a heaped desert spoon or so of the beef mixture into the middle, and fold into a small pasty. Use a dab cold water on your finger to moisten one side of the square, so the folded over edge with stick to it, then fold the edge back on itself and pinch to seal.
5. Brush the pasties with the beaten egg and bake at 180C/160C fan/350F for 20 minutes, until golden.
- Good splash of olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 500g minced beef
- bunch of fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped
- 1/3 of a jar of pitted green olives, roughly chopped
- 1 packet ready roll puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
Makes 8-12 small pastries.
1. Put the spice seeds in a dry non-stick pan over a medium heat and toast them lightly. Shake the pan to stop them burning, and when you start to smell the oils (probably just a minute or two) take them off the heat and tip into a pestle and mortar. Grind fairly finely.
2. Heat the olive oil in a non stick frying pan or saute pan, and saute the onions for a couple of minutes. Tip in the beef, and cook stirring regularly to break up any big lumps and help most of the excess moisture evaporate off. You want the mixture fairly dry, but obviously not burnt! When it’s nearly done, stir in the spices and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Allow the mixture to cool, then stir in the olives and chopped herbs.
4. Unroll the pastry and roll it slightly thinner. Cut it into 8-12 squares (depending just how big your roll is). Place a heaped desert spoon or so of the beef mixture into the middle, and fold into a small pasty. Use a dab cold water on your finger to moisten one side of the square, so the folded over edge with stick to it, then fold the edge back on itself and pinch to seal.
5. Brush the pasties with the beaten egg and bake at 180C/160C fan/350F for 20 minutes, until golden.
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