Storecupboard cooking: Cheese and bean pasties

We’re having one of those Old Mother Hubbard moments here in the Happy House. As ever, my palatial stocks of dry ingredients are in tip top condition, but we have completely run out of fresh vegetables, meat – anything that would be the basis of a meal. However, from the odds and sods that remain, I managed to put us a quick (but not particularly healthy) lunch. Roll on 3pm so I can go and see what bargains I can pick up from Mr T’s reduced section!!

(serves 2)

110g flour

40g butter

cold water to bind, approximately 30ml

pinch of salt

Half a tin of baked beans

50g cheese (I used Smoked Cheddar and Wensleydale)

Freshly milled black pepper

4 medium potatoes

Pinch of salt

Black pepper, butter and milk or cream to taste!

Preheat the oven to 190’C. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add water a bit at a time until you get a smooth pastry, which is still slightly crumbly. Divide the pastry into two and roll out to about 3mm thick. Add about quarter of a tin of baked beans to each pastry, top with grated cheese and black pepper. You could add anything else you wanted at this stage, cooked chicken or sausage, herbs, spices…

Wrap up and seal the edges and then place in the fridge to firm while you chop up the potatoes into small cubes for a quick cooking mash. Put the pasties in the oven for about 15-20 minutes and boil the potatoes. When the potatoes are soft, drain and mash them with a pinch of salt, pepper, butter, milk (I put a bit more cheese in ours!)