Tour of Fifty States: Michigan's meal

Menu:  Cornish Pastys, Peas, Cherry Pie

Outcome:  These were pretty good, but not spectacular – the filling was just meat and veggies, but we all said that we would have preferred some kind of gravy in with the filling, as they were a bit dry.  Oh, and just for future notice, do NOT put a cherry pie in the oven then go watch “The Princess Bride” without starting a timer of any kind!    Our pie got just a little dark, well, blackened is more like it.  This state is definitely a do-over.

Next up:  Bridget’s turn!  She chose Maryland!

Migrating Cornish miners helped to spread pasties into the rest of the world during the 19th century.  The arrival of the pasty in the Upper Peninsula came with an influx of Welsh and Cornish miners.

The pasty became popular with working people in Cornwall, England, where tin miners and others adopted it due to its unique shape, forming a complete meal that could be carried easily and eaten without cutlery.  In a mine the pasty's dense, folded pastry could stay warm for several hours, and if it did get cold it could easily be warmed on a shovel over a candle.

When pasties are being made, each member of the family has their initials marked at one corner. This way each person’s favorite tastes can be catered to, identifying each pasty.  The solid ridge of pastry, hand crimped along the top of the pasty, was so designed that the miner or traveler could grasp the pasty for eating and then throw the crust away. By doing this, he did not run the risk of germs and contamination from dirty hands. The crusts weren't wasted though, as many miners were believers in ghosts or "knockers" that inhabited the mines, and left these crusts to keep the ghosts content. There is some truth to this rumor, because the early Cornish tin mines had large amounts of arsenic, by not eating the corner which the miners held, they kept themselves from consuming large amounts of arsenic.

One end of the pasty would usually contain a sweet filling which the wives would mark or initial so the miner wouldn't eat his dessert first, while the other end would contain meat and vegetables. The true Cornish way to eat a pasty is to hold it in your hands, and begin to eat it from the top down to the opposite end of the initialed part. That way its rightful owner could consume any leftover portion later.

Pasties are one of the most ancient methods of cooking and of carrying cooked food. It is said that the early Irish Catholic Priests created them in order to transport food as they walked about the countryside preaching and aiding the people.

Cornish Pasty

Ingredients:

• Pasty Crust (recipe follows)
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• ½ cup hot water
• 5 ½ cups diced potatoes
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• ½ cup finely diced rutabaga 
• 1 lb. lean ground beef , cooked
• ½ lb. lean ground pork, cooked
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 º F.
2. Make Pasty Crust (see below for directions)
3. In a large bowl, dissolve beef bouillon cube in hot water. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, rutabaga, ground beef, ground pork, pepper, and salt; gently stir until well mixed.
   
4. Place 1 ½ cups of vegetable filling in the center of each rolled dough rectangle; bring short (6") sides together and seal by crimping edges together. Makes 3 or 4 small slits in the top of the pasty to allow steam to escape during cooking.
   
5. Place pasties onto a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown; remove from oven.

Pasty Crust

Ingredients

• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening or lard
• 1 1/3 cups chilled water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut vegetable shortening into flour mixture until particles are the size of small peas. 
2. Sprinkle in water, a little at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry dough almost cleans side of bowl. Form dough into a ball and cut dough into 6 sections.
3. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out each section into 6 x 8-inch rectangles. Fill and bake as directed in recipe.

Cherry Pie

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries
• 1 to 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 Tbsp. almond extract (optional)
• Frozen pie crust or pie dough recipe for 2 crust pie
• 1 ½ Tbsp. butter, to dot
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Directions

1. Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 º F.
5. Using a frozen or homemade dough recipe, prepare the crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan.
6. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.