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I came across a picnic recipe in an old cookbook that displayed a platter decoratively displaying slices of cold meat and egg pasties. Similar to a Scotch egg filling, this lamb mince mixture encases a boiled egg within a sturdy, buttery gluten-free pastie pastry. The lamb mince is seasoned with classic sausagemeat spices, fresh mint and parsley.
What is a pastie?
Pasties are a combination of buttery shortcrust turnover-shaped pastry and tender pieces of meat and root vegetables, typically swede and potatoes finished off with onion. There are many variations and can be eaten either warm or cold.
Filling suggestions
Substitute the lamb and egg filling with one of the following fillings:
- Mince pork with shredded apple
- Mince or beef fillet with caramelised onions
- Cheddar cheese and onion
- Vegetable Curry, similar to a vegetable samosa filling
- Beef Curry, similar to a beef samosa filling
- Baked beans and sausages
- Chargrilled Mediterranean vegetables & feta cheese
- Lentil and vegetables
- Mexican chilli con Carne or sin Carne
- Smoked fish and cheese
- Mushrooms and cheese
What is crimping?
This is the method used to seal the pastry edge and ensure the filling doesn’t leak out. The best way to describe crimping is by twisting and pressing the pastry edges along the longest side of the pastie. It takes some practice and can be a bit tricky to perfect when dealing with gluten-free pastry as it can tear or rip easily. If it proves to be too hard to crimp, they can be sealed pressed down with a fork.
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This gluten-free lamb & egg pastie is quite huge, so I recommend slicing the pastie when it is cold and serving it on a large platter with some mint sauce on the side. Of course, you can eat them whole, but definitely, one pastie per person is more than enough!
Gluten-Free Mince Lamb & Egg Pasties
Ingredients
GLUTEN-FREE PASTIE PASTRY
- 600 g store-bought or homemade gluten-free flour
- 2 tsp xanthan gum powder, or
- 4 tsp psyllium husk powder leave these out if your store-bought plain flour already has xanthan gum or p.husk
- 2 tsp salt
- 100 g butter, chilled and cubed
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 280-320 ml iced cold water
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, to sprinkle on the pasties
MINCE LAMB & EGG FILLING
- 4 eggs, organic if possible
- 600 g lamb mince
- 4 tbsp store-bought or homemade gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped finely
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder e.g. hot English mustard
- 1 tsp mace powder or nutmeg powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
To Serve
- mint sauce, hot English mustard, HP sauce, tomato sauce/ketchup and/or relishes
Instructions
GLUTEN-FREE PASTIE PASTRY - preparing the dough
- Mix the flour, salt and xanthan gum together in a medium bowl.
- Run in the chilled cubed butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips.
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix it into the crumbled flour mixture using a wooden spoon.
- Add the iced cold water gradually, mixing well between each addition. Once the pastry starts to come together into a ball, cover the bowl with a tea towel and set it aside for 30 minutes to rest.
MINCE LAMB & EGG FILLING
- Boil the eggs for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool under running cold water in the sink. Peel and set aside. Leave the boiled eggs whole.
- In a medium bowl, mix the lamb mince, breadcrumbs and all the seasonings together. Use your clean or gloved hands towards the end to massage the meat in well. If time permits, prepare this filling mixture the day before and chill to develop more flavour.
- Divide the lamb mixture into equal-sized portions. Flatten 3/4 of the portion into a round disc shape. Position the boiled egg in the middle.
- Place the remaining quarter of the lamb portion on top of the egg and bring the bottom lamb portion up around the sides forming a giant meatball. The lamb should cover the boiled egg completely. Shape it with slightly wet hands. Set aside while assembling the pasties.
Assembling the Pasties
- Mix the egg yolk and water to prepare an egg wash to brush on the assembled pasties. Set aside, covered.
- Start rolling out equal-sized pastry portions into circles measuring approximately 20 cm in diameter and place the assembled meatball in the centre of the pastry circle.
- Brush the pastry edges with some water and bring one side of the pastry circle over to the other side, pressing down firmly along the edges.
- To finish off the pastry edges, start by folding the corner towards the pastie. Then continue folding and pressing until you reach the opposite corner.
- Transfer the pasties onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush each pastie thoroughly with the egg wash prepared earlier.
Baking the Pasties
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 180°C/350°F and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, or until the pastry appears golden brown.
To Serve
- Serve the pasties warm or allow them to cool down completely before slicing the pasties and arranging them on a large platter. Serve them with mint sauce and other condiments, plus plenty of salad.
Notes
- Keeps for 2 days chilled
- Suitable to freeze once baked
If you prefer to make smaller pasties, use small boiled quail eggs instead of chicken eggs. Make the pastry circles smaller aiming at 10cm in diameter. This should give you at least 8 small pasties.
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Gluten-Free Lamb & Mint Pasties
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Great idea and nice alternative to bring to friends places/parties. Pastry works really well too 🙂
Thanks, Patricio! Glad you liked it and that the pastry worked out well!