Although this recipe originates with Mazie Tremaine Brown Bryan (and her grandmother, Eliza Toy Prisque, who was born in England in 1827 and emigrated to the U. S. around 1865), it’s famous in the Bryan clan because of Mazie’s daughter-in-law, Geraldine Parker Jones. The story below was written by one of Geraldine’s grandchildren for a school project several years back and does a nice job to set the stage for this fabulous meal.
My Grandmother learned this dish from Mazie Brown Bryan. It was passed down to her from her grandmother who brought it from her native England. Mazie remembers having it for dinner every Saturday night. And when Mazie was an adult and making it, she would make a different pasty for each person in the family depending on their favorite ingredients and would mark them with their initials on the top of the crust. Now my grandmother makes it, not every Saturday but often enough that we all love it.
Crust: Combine the following:
- 4 ½ cups of flour
- 2 ¼ cups of grated or finely chopped beef suet
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
This will be a heavy, rough dough. Divide into three equal parts and roll out one part on a floured breadboard to about a 15” circle. Fill each circle with:
- 1 cup round steak, cut into bite size
- 2 medium potatoes, sliced thin
- 1/3 medium onion, grated or chopped
Suggestion: Place potatoes first, then onions – salt and pepper – meat and more salt and pepper.
Shape as a turnover and place in a 9×12 baking dish (lightly greased) and bake 325 degrees for 1 ¼ hour, or until nicely browned.
Serve with ketchup and dill pickles.
Is this Hannah’s story of Pasty? Interestingly, when Zenna had to write an impromptu essay in school to practice for the ACTs, she chose to write about Pasty too!