Dear Readers, I wanted to share with you one last…
Guest Post: Cornish Hand Pies (AIP, Paleo)
Meet my dad!
With Father’s Day approaching, I thought it was fitting to introduce you to my dad, another integral member of my fierce band of IBD warriors.
My dad possesses many amazing qualities – he’s funny, intelligent, and thoughtful. He’s a talented architect. And he loves to cook. I’m blessed in that both my mom and dad are creatives in the kitchen.
Like my mom, my dad has remained tirelessly by my side during the 22 years I’ve been battling Crohn’s. I remember well a sage bit of advice he offered during one of my darkest days: “Have a contingency plan,” he said.
Time and again, chronic illness has robbed me of my Plan A and my Plan B. Goodness knows, it has the capacity to strip me of my subsequent Plans C and D as well. But when my dad spoke to me of contingencies, of confronting my “worst case scenarios,” and of preparing fail-safe measures, my fears diminished. After the blitzkrieg of Crohn’s, I again felt empowered.
Thank you, Dad, for reminding me that my desires, my ideas, my plans – they all matter. Thank you for reminding me that I matter.
And thank you for sharing your thoughts and tasty recipe here on the blog. Alas, here are a few words from my dad himself.
Watching your child fall into a vortex of chronic illness is heartbreaking. IBD ravages every cell, sinew, and nerve. In the fight against this brutal disease of the digestive tract, food can easily become the enemy and avoidance of it a quick fix. However, our family has found that food is actually the strongest ally one can have in this battle.
Martine was blessed with a vanguard in our family, her mum, Barbara, who set about making every meal “Martine-friendly.” No family should miss out on the pleasure of time spent together eating good food and enjoying each other’s company. So I’m honoured to share one of my family favorites with you all.
Anybody of Anglo-Saxon origin knows that pies are a staple – meat was often used sparingly so pastry had to leave one satisfied. This recipe is modified from a traditional rough-puff or shortcrust pastry. With help from the food alchemists in our family, I was able to source alternatives to wheat flour.
Although this recipe is not made exactly to “Cornish Pasty” criteria, it nonetheless renders a great pie that makes a hearty, easy-to-hold-and-eat snack.
These Cornish Hand Pies are excellent chilled in the fridge as well, provided there any are left!
Guest Post: Cornish Hand Pies (AIP, Paleo)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Allan Partridge
Recipe type: Snack/Side
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- For the Filling:
- 1 tbsp. oil
- ¼ c finely diced onion
- ¼ c finely diced carrot
- ¼ c finely diced celery
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ lb. ground beef
- For the Pastry:
- ¾ c cassava flour
- ¼ c arrowroot flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 5 tbsp. shortening
- 5 tbsp. water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute more. Add beef and scramble fry until no longer pink. Remove to a bowl and cool.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl combine the flours, baking soda, and salt. Add the shortening and cut into the flour mixture until crumbly. Add water and continue to mix to form the dough. Knead a few times in the bowl.
- Divide into 2 balls and roll each ball out to ⅛ inch thick between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Using a 3-inch round pastry cutter, cut pastry into circles and transfer with a spatula to the prepared baking sheet.
- Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the middle of each round piece on the baking sheet.
- Roll out remaining dough and cut in the same way. Very carefully place on top of the meat filling and gently seal the edges with the tip of a fork. With the tip of a sharp knife, carefully slice a small cut in the centre of each of the pies.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
