Courgette, chard, basil, parsley and goat’s cheese pasties

Makes 4 Cakes, Bread and Pastries

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Method

To make the filling, strip the chard leaves off the stalks and give everything a wash. Roughly chop the leaves and cut the stalks into 1cm pieces. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the stalk pieces. After 1-2 minutes add the leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain and allow to cool, then squeeze out the excess liquid from the leaves and set aside.

Set a frying pan over a medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the onions, garlic, a few sea salt flakes and black pepper and fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring regularly and making sure they don’t catch. Add the courgettes, stir well and cook for 15–20 minutes until tender, stirring regularly so they break down a tiny bit and lose some excess moisture. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chard, lemon zest, basil and parsley and some more salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool, then add the cheese and gently mix. Set the filling aside in a cool place while you make the pastry.

Pour approx. 200ml iced water into a jug. In a bowl, combine the butter cubes with the flour and a good pinch of salt, then add just enough iced water to bring everything together into a dough that is full of big pieces of butter.

On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough in one direction, away from you, to a rectangle about 1cm thick. Fold the short ends into the middle so they overlap, then give the pastry a quarter turn. Repeat the rolling, folding and turning process 3 more times. Wrap the pastry in baking paper and put it in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

Remove and repeat the rolling, folding and turning process a further 4 times. Wrap the pastry again and put it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Roll the chilled pastry out to 4–5mm thick, then use an 18–20cm plate to cut out 4 neat rounds. Put a quarter of the filling in the lower half of each round, leaving a border of 2cm.

Brush the border below the filling with egg and fold the pastry over to encase the filling. Crimp the edges with your fingers to make a tight seal. Brush the tops of the pasties with egg and scatter the black onion seeds and a pinch of flaky sea salt over. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and cook in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden. Serve either just warm or cooled completely.

This recipe featured in the June 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.