MINI BEEF PASTIES
(Pictured below, left) Makes 18.
You will need:
1 tablespoon oil 1 onion, peeled and finely diced 300g (11oz) minced beef 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 100g (3½oz) mushrooms, diced 8-10 pitted dates, chopped 50g (2oz) raisins 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 star anise, ground in a pestle and mortar 6 whole cloves 1 x 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes 50ml (2fl oz) tomato paste 50ml (2fl oz) cider vinegar 85g (3¾oz) sugar 3 x 375g rolls of puff pastry 1 egg, beaten Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Add the finely diced onion and saute it for a few minutes, then add the minced beef.
Break up the beef with a spatula and fry it over the heat to brown the meat and cook it thoroughly. Add the finely sliced garlic, the finely chopped fresh ginger and the diced mushrooms. Stir everything together and cook it for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped pitted dates, the raisins, the ground cinnamon, the ground coriander, and the ground star anise. Pinch the tops off the whole cloves, sprinkle them over, then stir to mix in the spices.
Add the tinned chopped tomatoes, the tomato paste, the cider vinegar and the sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce the sauce to a thick mixture.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the contents to cool while you are preparing the pastry.
Roll out the puff pastry, then cut out six circles from each sheet; each one should be about 12cm (about 5in) in diameter. Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling into the centre of each pastry circle and brush the edges with a little beaten egg.
Gently draw the sides up together to contain the filling and use your fingers to pinch the edges together into a frilled ridge. Carefully transfer each pasty to an oven tray, then prick each one several times with the tip of a knife and brush them all over with the remaining beaten egg.
Bake the beef pasties for about 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown.