BOOZE

FROM THE COAST WITH LOVE

By Jessica Mason

There are some days when you just need a hug. But while our social circles become smaller, the paucity of people to dispense hugs to each of us these days reduces too. So, in an effort to discover new ways to feel the kind of warmth and comfort only found in the arms of someone dear, I went in search of recipes that would feed my soul and make me feel satisfied as much as any wide-armed embrace.

Like all good recipes, we adapt them to suit our needs or the way we feel. I’d encourage you to do the same and create your own perfect medley of ingredients. But the basics remain the same - make something pillowy and warming that you can hold in your hands. Then wash it down with a nip of something that radiates warmth in your throat and down to your heart. A drink that makes your eyes sparkle and dance. That’s why, when you want to feel loved, all you really need are pasties and rum. Rum and pasties. The perfect bedfellows. Here’s the adapted recipe.

Ingredients 2 eggs, beaten 100g butter, cubed 225g flour 2 potatoes, cubed 1 onion, chopped 2 parsnips, cubed 1 serving of stewing steak and/or mushrooms, chopped

Method Preheat the oven to 200°C Peel and chop one ramekin of potatoes into small cubes. Peel and chop one ramekin of onions into small pieces. Peel and chop one ramekin of parsnips into small cubes. Chop either one ramekin of raw beef

steak or mushrooms (depending on preference). Set aside. Please note all ingredients are raw.

Make a batch of shortcrust pastry. You probably already know the drill, but if not, here are the standard amounts: mix together about 225g of flour and a pinch of salt and then 100g of butter cubed or simply broken into small pieces and rub together in your hands until you have a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs. Add a splash of cold water a little at a time, until the mixture comes together. Good pastry means your bowl should look clean when you take the dough out, leaving no traces of flour or butter on the sides.

Roll the pastry dough into a sausage or long snake shape and then cut it into four equal pieces. Put three pieces aside and work on one piece of pastry at a time.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about an eight-inch (20cm) circle or, using a plate as a guide, place it on the dough and cut around it.

Put a layer of cubed potatoes down the middle of the pastry circle, leaving a small space at the top and bottom edges of the dough. Season with salt and pepper. Then add a layer of onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper, followed by a layer of parsnips and then lastly a layer of beef or mushrooms. Lay a couple of slices of butter on top and sprinkle a little flour over the filling.

Wet the tips of your fingers and dampen the outer edge of the pastry dough. Then, carefully bring the sides of the pastry up and seal the pasty down the middle. Turn the pasty onto its side and crimp or press the edges to secure the pasty filling. Assemble each of the remaining pasties and lay them on a lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in the middle of each one to let the steam out.

Brush each pasty with the beaten egg mixture and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes until golden in colour. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes (they will be very hot inside) before eating.

Once cooled a little, for those you don’t devour immediately, wrap in a strip of greaseproof paper and secure with string, so they can be held easily while out and about without getting greasy hands. Load up each into a hamper and take them out with you. Or, if you’re staying in, you can warm them later, or chill or freeze them to enjoy another time.

Ideally though, I’d say eat them warm and wash each one down with your favourite brown spirit. Pair with small glasses or a hip flask. I chose a bottle of Tidal rum, a golden rum infused with oak-smoked Pepper Dulse which has been foraged at low tide in Jersey. It was the perfect accompaniment to the homeliness of a seaside pasty.

Take a bite of pasty and let the pastry crumble a little in your mouth. Let the flavours intermingle with the buttery peppered edge to each mouthful. Then sip your rum to chase each bite. You’ll start to feel warm and full of love very soon, I promise!