Mushroom and Ricotta Pasties

The crumbly pastry here is best when slightly warm, so don’t put the pasties in the fridge unless you have to. Make them the day before, but bake them on the day and wrap in foil.

Preparation time :	15–20 minutes, plus 35 minutes chilling
Cooking time :	20 minutes to 25 minutes
Total time :	1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes

Makes: 6

Ingredients

25g Butter
250g Chestnut mushrooms, chopped
125g Chanterelles
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp Fennel seeds
½ Lemon, juice
150g Ricotta
3 tbsp Sour cream

Pastry
200g Plain flour
125g Butter
2 tbsp Sour cream
1 Egg, beaten

Method

1. For the pastry, pulse the flour with a pinch of salt and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add the sour cream and blend to form a ball. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and lemon juice; boil till reduced. Cool. Mix the mushrooms, Ricotta and sour cream; season.
3. Roll the pastry out to a 3mm thickness and cut out six 12cm circles. Dampen the edges with egg. Put a spoonful of mixture in the middle of each circle and pinch the edges together, crimping them to seal completely. Pull this edge upright and press down so the pasties stand up. Brush with egg and put on a baking sheet. Chill for 15 minutes. Bake for 20–25 minutes.

Drinks recommendation

The Corker recommends a South African Merlot or Shiraz to compliment these intricately flavoured pasties.