Ginger and Apple Pork Pasties

Not only is it the season for apples, but also sausagemeat is ideal for those on a low budget. Pasties are great to eat both for dinner or lunch. However, it can be time consuming rolling out individual circles of pastry to make pasties, so if you haven’t got much time you can roll out the pastry into one big rectangle, place the filling on one half and fold the other half over to make one big roll. Just remember to brush over the top and around the seal with egg. You can also purchase pre-rolled pastry that’s now available in supermarkets, to speed things up even more. I suggest serving this meal with some pickle or chutney.

Makes 8

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 cooking apple

1 medium red onion, diced

Root ginger, 1-2 tbsp. crushed

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500g pork sausagemeat/sausages, skins removed

1 tsp. dried mixed herbs

Salt and pepper

1kg shortcrust pastry

Flour, for rolling pastry

1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7/425°F.

2. Heat a small drop of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the red onions for about 2 minutes, until softened.

3. Peel the cooking apple and dice into medium chunks. Mix in a bowl with the sausage meat, mixed herbs, onions, ground ginger, crushed garlic and ginger in a bowl until combined evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

4. On a floured surface, roll the pastry out. Using a small plate or saucer, cut the pastry into circles. Spoon a small amount of the mixture onto one half of each of the pastry circles, but not covering the edge by at least 1 cm. Brush the edge of the other half with the beaten egg, then fold it over to form a semi-circle. Pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat until all the pastry and filling is used up.

5. On top of each pasty, indent 2 lines and brush over with the egg. Cook on a baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes,

6. Lower the heat to 190°C/Gas Mark 5/375°F, bake for a further 25 minutes and serve.