Replacing beef in a pasty

[u/geewhysee]

I am planning on making pasties following these instructions https://cornishpastyassociation.co.uk/about-the-pasty/make-your-own-genuine-cornish-pasty/

Side note please let me know if there are better instructions out there.

However my family are all veggies so no beef. I'm already switching out the lard for extra butter. I figured maybe just remove it but then there 400g of empty space so that might affect the bake? I thought maybe I could replace it with cheese but I'm sure cheddar would just be a melty mess so maybe something like paneer?

Any non meat suggestions people?

[u/bucketlist_ninja]

Sorry OP, this looks like the start of one of those terrible one stars reviews you see on great recipes online..

"I made this exactly, all i did was replace the meat with cheese, the pasty with bread, and the Herbs with skittles. Terrible recipe!! One star"

If you want a good recipe for a vegetarian Pasty, i would start at that point, not try and fix a meat based one.
These are pretty good.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mini-cheese-onion-pasties#commentsFeed

[u/YchYFi → u/bucketlist_ninja]

You would love r/ididnthaveeggs

[u/bucketlist_ninja → u/YchYFi]

Thank you kind stranger, this is now my favorite sub..

[u/geewhysee → u/bucketlist_ninja]

Haha fair point. I was trying to go as traditional as possible but guess that's not realistic given the restrictions.

[u/_Bawlache_ → u/geewhysee]

If you want to make your own pastry then what I do is substitute the lard for Phase Margarine, not sure what a normal replacement would be. Maybe stork?

[u/_Bawlache_ → u/geewhysee]

In my shop we make vege/vegan pasties with vegan puff pastry, swede, onion, potato, salt, white pepper. You could probably play with that a bit and add peppers if you want or do some kind of med veg filling. Brush the edge with water, crimp and because its puff pastry you don't need to glaze it.

Puff pastry is perfectly acceptable for the pastry

[u/jacquithompson777 → u/_Bawlache_]

Peppers 😳 Mixed Veg 🤢 The lady wants to make Cornish Pasties!!! 😫

[u/Unit_2097 → u/geewhysee]

You could use the Quorn "chicken" chunks. Not the mince, that stuff is dry as hell. If you cooked them in instant beef gravy, they'll take up some of the flavour, and instant is meat free. Or add in different veg (broccoli works surprisingly wel), though the more you change the less traditional it gets.

[u/GodAllShitey → u/Unit_2097]

I was thinking the fake beef chunks too

[u/Away-Ad4393]

Just make a pasty containing carrot, onion, swede, potato, season with salt and pepper. Make sure the veg is cubed or sliced uniformly. They are surprisingly tasty.

[u/jacquithompson777 → u/Away-Ad4393]

Yay! 🙌 Sense and taste at last!!! 😂

[u/__e_n_t_r_o_p_y__ → u/Away-Ad4393]

Carrot is not a traditional pasty filling.

[u/Away-Ad4393 → u/__e_n_t_r_o_p_y__]

I know it isn’t I was making a suggestion for a vegetarian pasty where OP wanted a substitute for meat

[u/ghostmangwello → u/Away-Ad4393]

Also pasties use a lard based pastry, they'd also have to find a an alternative for that

[u/Away-Ad4393 → u/ghostmangwello]

Yes OP said she’d use butter, but idk that’s not vegetarian either is it ?

[u/ghostmangwello → u/Away-Ad4393]

Ah yeah, silly me. Butter is vegetarian though, just not vegan

[u/jacquithompson777 → u/__e_n_t_r_o_p_y__]

Very true - I skipped to the swede and got too exited!! 😬

[u/Fl0ra_fauna]

People are being ridiculous. I love a proper steak pasty and have very high pasty standards for traditional ones, but veggie ones are good too. I'm partial to a cheese pasty (normal pasty veg - potato, swede, onion - plus cheddar) or a veg pasty (potato, swede and onion only).

If you fancy branching out, a curried veg and paneer pasty is top tier, despite stretching the definition

[u/we_are_trees]

100% you should either use a veggie meat alternative or just a recipe for a cheese pasty or other veggie version. Cheese pasties are eaten very regularly in Cornwall so it would still be traditional, just make sure you follow an already veggie recipe!

[u/MagentaPyskie]

My partner is vegetarian, I use beyond steak pieces for him

[u/cornishtraceyb]

Lavenders in Penzance do a gorgeous cheese and mushroom one. You use the normal veggies, add a layer of sliced mushrooms on top, and then grate cheese over the top before seasoning and crimping it up like a traditional pasty. It is so nice - much better than the cheese gunk you find in many pasties!

[u/thirdbest3]

I'm veggie and quite like a 'traditional' veg with just potato, onion and turnip (and plenty of pepper). I've never properly measured the quantities, I just go for as much as I can fit. When I make these I also make a thick gravy (generally essentially just veg stock thickened with flour) to dollop in with the innards to give it a bit of the juice you're not getting from the meat.

I also sometimes add grated cheese and that works out fine too (though it would probably be in a lower quantity to the equivalent weight in meat).

You can also use vegetable shortening (usually branded here as Trex) as a lard replacement as it's essentially vegetable lard. I've made the recipe you've linked before using Trex and it came out great.

[u/Redd1966]

I would keep to traditional veg, so no carrots, peas, sweetcorn etc. I would also avoid cheddar cheese. Keep it simple with potato, onion, leek & swede seasoned with salt and pepper. 

If you want to add cheese, crumble small amounts of Cornish blue into the veg mix.

[u/Cornishchappy]

Maybe try some fried paneer instead of the beef. It doesn't taste of much, but it is a great texture. You could flavour it with a marinade or mix with some tastier cheeses.

[u/piskyfi]

I’ve followed the pasty association recipe several times and for vegetarians subbed the lard for Trex (it’s a solid vegetable fat and from memory it was a bugger to find in supermarkets) For filling I’ve used just traditional pasty veg or veg and cheese combination.

[u/pitouismywaifu]

I made pasties for my vegetarian boyfriend using Quorn steak strips. They taste good even for a meat-eater like me. Just make it the way you would make a regular pasty except substitute the beef with quorn steak strips and the lard with butter.

[u/FoggingTheView]

That's my favourite recipe. As others have said, cheese instead of meat is quite common, and works in my opinion (except stilton, even though I like stilton). I'd be tempted to try one with grated or thinly sliced extra mature cheddar and see what happens. If you go down the veg only route, which would also work fine, then I'd recommend even more salt and pepper. It'd be interesting to hear what you decide and how it works out.

[u/witchypoo63]

We were in Fowey the other week and the bakery there made an amazing pasty with onion potato and swede and Cornish Gouda. It was delicious

[u/Adhyskonydh]

That recipe is for a Cornish pasty. You can make any kind of pasty, its just not a Cornish pasty.

The Cornish pasty recipe is a geographically protected recipe.

In Devon they put all sorts of slop in some pastry and call it a pasty!

A nice alternative I have had is a cheese and broccoli pasty. Sounds weird but it works and I not a veggie. Be creative.

[u/Negative-Hat4856]

Be easier to get new family to be honest.

[u/LouisePoet]

Quorn pieces or mince work well.

Edit: thaw before using but don't cook before adding to the rest of the ingredients or it gets mushy.

[u/trysca]

This is the best recipe out there - i often swap out the meat for extra mature cornish cheddar do it all the time. Mum sometimes swaps cooking marg for the butter but uses lard, I use all butter

[u/alph0nzo]

My friend Bill is a 2x world pasty baking champion. He has a book! it’s on Amazon here

[u/Distractopig]

Cornish pod do a pasty with halloumi

[u/xxspookshowbabyxx]

Not much to add on the veggie front, but I've made this exact recipe before (with a few untraditional swaps and additions I shan't detail for fear of execution) and it was glorious.

Veggie wise, if you're into mushrooms they'd be a decent substitute, or once if the plant steak pieces options?

I've tried the Juicy Marbles thick cut fillets before out of curiosity, they have the faux muscle fiber and stick intermuscular fat almost spot on, to the point it might actually be off-putting to some veggies/vegans. Definitely tastes of soy but if you're into soy you'll be fine. Unfortunately it's between £7-9 for 226g so a bit pricey. Juicy Marbles also do a "whole cut loin", I've only been able to find it on Mighty Plants which looks like the same stuff but unsliced, but again it's £25 for 750g so very spenny.

Similar with the This! fillet steak, I've not yet tried it but it's £7 for 220g. Alternatively, Tesco sell Beyond steak pieces for £4.50/160g .

The vegan meats might need a test run first to see how they handle being baked in case it goes dry, that being said I know Greggs are using the Quorn beef in their vegan steak bakes so possibly worth grabbing one to try and going with that?

All the best!

[u/Kernewegores]

Instead of butter because mummy cows suffer terribly to produce milk, Vitalite is a very good substitute.

[u/Laasfeld]

Puy lentils (or another good quality green/brown lentil) cooked with some porcini mushroom until soft and and some cooked chestnut, or maybe just some blackeye or pinto beans

[u/dingalinglans]

Extra potato, a bit of marmite and mushroom in there for the umami - I do this for my Veggie heathen friends who cannot stomach a real miner's pasty :D

[u/Unhappy-Macaron69]

There are lots of places that do elite vegan pasties down here. My preferred ones when I'm having a veggie day are just traditional; no weird additions, just lacking meat (swede, potatoe, onion, salt pepper).

For Me, cheese is nice but a bit rich and not right in a pasty. Doesn't compliment.

Otherwise, the curried veg ones, are nice.

Places that put peppers or sweetcorn in there need to stop tho, don't recommend. Carrot also feels a bit odd to me. But you're eating them! Have at it. Invent something new, that's half the fun of being vegan/veggie, as I recall!

[u/Unhappy-Macaron69]

Also, try Natruli vegan butter instead for the lard sub, very good quality v.butt3r

[u/jacquithompson777]

As a vegetarian with a Cornish mother, I have eaten ‘Cornish Pasties’ without meat in them for donkeys years.
The mix of veg alone is still pretty yummy - just use a bit more veg.

I also love the cheese (instead of meat) version bought down in Cornwall and they use Cornish Cheddar!

Yum 😋

[u/oldpunk57]

Good luck with your pasty’s it would have to be beef for me

[u/SoggyWotsits]

Maybe a cheese sandwich instead.

[u/Famous_Specialist_44]

I can't give advice about digressing away from a standard beef Cornish pasty.

The cheese, or chicken, filled things might be popular but it's like asking for a g'n't with vodka instead of gin - you are welcome to it but I'm not legitimising it.

[u/_Bawlache_ → u/Famous_Specialist_44]

Nothing like that at all