Sunday, November 28, 2010

Traditionally…



There are some traditions that you don’t mind breaking. Getting out of having to go to the office holiday party, for instance, would not break my heart. But some traditions you look forward to all year long. Our day-after-Thanksgiving tradition is one of those. Unfortunately, we missed it this year. In fact, we pretty much missed the entire holiday weekend thanks to a couple of nasty colds.

What should have happened was this: We wake up, happy as can be, and walk downtown to our favorite bagel shop. After eating toasted bagels dripping with butter, we meander around aimlessly, popping into a few stores like Borders and Apple. (Our downtown is sleepy and the standard Black Friday crowds do not flock there.) When we've had our fill of books and electronics, we do lunch and a little bar-hop to sample a few libations at various establishments. Some more meandering, maybe another hop or two, and we walk home to make our standard day-after-Thanksgiving dinner.

Well...here's what actually happened this year: We woke up, both feeling miserable, me without a voice, and coughed and sniffled our way through the morning. We got ready, hoping we could rally for our day. Finally, one of us suggested what the other was thinking: maybe going out was not the best idea. We then both promptly collapsed on the couch, which is where we've been since.

Typically, after my Thanksgiving cooking marathon, I don't feel much like being in the kitchen for a few days. This is when the convenience items make their appearance: Kraft mac 'n cheese, frozen pizza, canned soup, tater tots, etc. (Who am I kidding? Tater tots make regular appearances in this house, regardless of whether I'm tired of cooking or not.) But the one thing I will get back into the kitchen for after Thanksgiving is pasty. This year, it just happened a few days late.

Pasty (or pastie, depending on who you ask) is basically a meat and potato pie, and I am in love with it. It is a simple and homey dish and I have Andy to thank for introducing me to it.


When we first started dating, Andy announced that he would be making pasty one night. It is an old recipe passed down from his mom and very beloved to him. I was a little skeptical when he described it to me. Steak, potato, onion and a pie crust. The end. I made a few suggestions regarding additional ingredients which he did not accept. No, this was his dish, and I would be making no improvements modifications. I watched as he diced the ingredients (and when he wasn't looking I threw in a little parsley anyway). What came out of the oven was fantastically delicious, and is now a fixture in my recipe box.


Pasty

1 package deep-dish frozen pie crusts (2 shells)
1 - 1 1/2 pounds steak (trimmed of fat)
1 large yellow onion
1 pound potatoes, peeled (we use Yukons)
salt and pepper
handful of chopped parsley 

Defrost pie crusts.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Chop potatoes and onion into a small dice. Cube the steak into similar size (a bit larger is fine). Mix it all together in a large bowl and stir in parsley. Season heavily with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture into one pie crust and place the other crust on top. Crimp the edges together and make a few slits on the top crust.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 90 minutes. (I use a pie crust shield once the crust is brown, and when the top is brown, cover the entire pie loosely with foil.)


The first time I ate this dish, I was shocked at how much I loved it. And even more surprising was how good it was with ketchup. I'm not a put-ketchup-on-everything type girl, but now I can't eat this without it. When I'm really craving pasty, nothing else will do. Obviously, there's not a whole lot to it...it's steak, onion and potato. But they're all cooked together in one happy package and the result is a tender, flavorful filling and a flaky crust. To us, this is the epitome of comfort food.

There are still times when I suggest modifying the recipe, but it's a half-hearted attempt. Even if Andy conceded, I don't think I would change the recipe. He was right...it doesn't need a thing. (But that parsley did give it a little needed color.)


So even though we're sick and several days late, this is one tradition I won't give up easily. Better late than never...

----------------

Due to my weeks of insane Thanksgiving testing/prepping craziness, I've continuously forgotten to thank some fellow bloggers. So...some long overdue thanks for some recent awards from Elisabeth @ Food and Thrift Finds, Annie @ Annie's Dish, Danielle @ Runs with Spatulas, and Sandra @ Sandra's Easy Cooking. I appreciate them all! 

51 comments:

  1. I hope you will feel better. Those winter colds are terrible. I believe this pie compensated you and made you feel better.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no, there's nothing worse than the misery of a cold! Sending well-wishes your way.

    Meanwhile, I love Cornish Pasties, the individual hand-held version of what you have here. They are one of my very favourite things and I agree, delicious with our tomato sauce (which I'm pretty sure is your ketchup). I am puzzled at how great something with so few ingredients - and pretty unexciting ones at that - can taste. There must be some kind of magic going on within the pastry. :) I put turnip/swede in mine as well as the potatoes (not that I'd suggest you alter tradition or anything!).

    Get well soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great tradition! The pasty looks fabulous, never had one, but I think this would go over big at my house! Hope you feel better! But there's something to be said for doing nothing on the the day after Thanksgiving :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm sorry about the weather! Hope you're feeling better now. Just be a little patient. Probably, tryng out some chocolates! ha! The pie looks great and tasty. Hope you're still enjoying the day.
    Best wishes, Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  5. The pie looks and sounds wonderful! I hope you are feeling better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am DEFINITELY making this sometime soon. This looks SO easy and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hopefully you get to feeling better soon! This pie looks incredibly delicious. Looks easy to put together.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 1st... its pie, second - its meat and potatoes. Put a crust on just about anything and I'll eat it! I've done these with ground meats before.. but love love the chunky bits. I'll have to try it this way!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This does look wonderful, and I am willing to place bets that my husband would love it. I am sorry you were sick after Thanksgiving, that is no fun! I got sick our first Thanksgiving together, which was a week after our wedding... no fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those cold seem to never go away!!!! Ugh, I just got over one myself a few weeks ago. This pie looks awesome, love the meat and potaotes, very comforting!

    ReplyDelete
  11. an amazingly inviting pie. sorry about the cold. when you're sick you realise it's such a blessing being healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This sounds and looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oohh, can't wait to try this!!! Thanks Karen!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The pasty looks fabulous... meat and potatoes always go together..real comfort food for a long day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. wow, If this doesn't make you feel better, nothing will. Hope you are better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bummer about feeling so bad on your holiday :(

    This looks great, a lovely, rustic, honest meal.

    ReplyDelete
  17. That looks really good--I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for several years and there were "camps" about what does/does not go in a pasty. People go pretty heated about it!

    ReplyDelete
  18. That looks like perfect comfort food! Hope you're feeling better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hope you're on the mend soon! I just printed out a recipe for pasties and I can't WAIT to try them!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Karen

    Hope that you're feeling better soon. it looks like the pasty is the perfect comfort food to cure all your ills.

    Hi,
    I’ve an award for you (The Versatile Blogger Award), please come and pick it up when you’re free

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  21. The colds are nasty and not fun, especially during holidays! Hope you are feeling better now.
    The pie looks great... Pastry with meat, whatelse can you ask for? :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hope you feel better soon! That meat pie looks fantastic- what a great tradition!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sorry that you were sick during the holidays. Hope you are feeling much better now.
    Your pasty pie looks amazing, and so hearty with the steak and the veggies. Even with the frozen deep dish pie, the crust looks so flaky.

    Thank you for the mention re: your award from me... Looks like you got some catching up to do paying other bloggers forward with all those awards, and I see you just got another one from
    Becky.
    Congratulations Karen...well deserved!

    ReplyDelete
  24. This pie is screaming comfort food... it looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  25. You poor thing! I'm lucky that I've only woken up with a scratchy throat for the past couple of days (hopefully it doesn't surmount to anything major!) Hope you feel better soon and this pasty looks absolutely comforting and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hope you are feeling much better. The pie does look delicious and comforting. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I am going to have to give this one a whirl and send it to you. I think Love would be very happy to have this for dinner one night, but with venison ofcoarse :) You didn't miss anything on Black Friday ;)

    ReplyDelete
  28. That looks like a tradition that I think I might want to start! Steak, onions, potatoes ... yes. Yes indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  29. This traditional pie is absolutely amazing!
    May I have a slice?
    Hugs
    Barbaraxx

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your pie looks delicious.
    And it's easy to make.

    Hope you are better now
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I sure hope you are feeling better. I'm sure the pasty helped. We love them here in Northern MI. I do like how you make one big one rather than individual pasties.

    ReplyDelete
  32. The pastry of your pie look delicious and I can the melt-in-your-mouth effect from your pie. Hope that you are feeling better :D

    ReplyDelete
  33. That is a greta looking pie...could use a slice for my lunch today!
    Thank yu so much fro your kind commnets at my blog. I know how you feel with a cold so I sure hope you are on the mend soon.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Sorry to hear you were both feeling so bad! Hope you are on the mend now! The pasty looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  35. That's funny- we have after Thanksgiving meal traditions too! I really almost look more forward to those meals than the actual big meal - it is great but always so much work! This dish is so similar to a biscuit topped dish we make here in Tennessee. Also I have to laugh because my husband is always telling me not to mess with the comfort food dishes he loves. He's right, I think, but it is hard not to try new ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I am so sorry to hear you guys were sick! But you are so right. tater tots are an every day food. Or should be.

    This pasty sounds delicious! I've never heard of it before but it looks like some serious comfort food.

    ReplyDelete
  37. This makes me think of Australian meat pies. They are smaller like a hamburger so you can pick it up with your hands and eat it like a sandwhich.

    ReplyDelete
  38. My husband would go crazy for this!! Definitely bookmarking it! Thanks for the great recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love pasty's! I grew up in Wales where these are a traditional daily staple. I would often walk to the bakery from school and buy one for lunch, but they were smaller hand sized pies.....so good:)

    ReplyDelete
  40. I never heard of Pasty but it looks and sounds delicious. Sounds like a great traditional dish. I'm glad you didn't skip out on it despite not feeling well enough to do all the other good stuff. Hope your feeling better! Colds are so annoying.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I heard you had a yummy Thanksgiving. I hope you and Andy are feeling better by now. Hope to see you in a couple of weeks!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Really sorry that you got so sick this year. Hope you are feeling better.. and yes, better late than never!! Pasty looks amazing :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. I am dealing with a full-blown monster of a cold myself! And the whole family has it at the moment! Dealing with an adult who has a cold is bad, but no doubt, made easier with a taste of your lovely little pastie. I have never eaten anything like what you've made here - so delicious, simple and incredible. May very well try it this weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Love this recipe and would like to make this.
    I hope you are feeling better soon.
    Take good care of yourself and rest!
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh no! I am sorry you were both so sick. Hope you are feeling better now. Maybe a bit more of the gorgeous pasty to make you feel better?

    ReplyDelete
  46. I love that day-after-Thanksgiving tradition... just taking it easy, hopping from bar to bar LOL I've never had pasty (or pastie). We end up with so much venison, I bet it'd be good in this. I'll have to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Looks lovely Karen! I shy away from the better known "pastie" (hand held variety) because there is just too much pastry (gives me indigestion) but in your lovely "pie" format, perfect! I must give this one a go, Thankyou!

    ReplyDelete
  48. I hope you guys are feeling better. My fiance went to school in Butte, MT, where I guess the pasty is extremely popular. He kept trying to describe to me what a pasty was and the amazingness of it, but I couldn't get it in my mind. Now that I see what it is, and read you raving about it, I guess it doesn't seem that bizarre to me. I think the name threw me for a loop.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Wow, that Pasty really looks good and filling too. Nice story behind it as well. So sorry you both were below the weather.

    I'm gonna try that pasty gluten and dairy free. Wish me luck.

    ReplyDelete

ShareThis