Pasties travel from mines to menus
By Roseanne Pereira in Minnesota Made
Monday, Dec. 29 2008 @ 5:00AM
Pasties originated in Europe, but became regional fare in the Upper Peninsula.(Photo courtesy of Justhungry.com)
Minnesota foods? Think fast! Okay, we've got hot dish, sweet corn, wild rice, - and if you're from the Iron Range, you would probably add pasty to the list. If you've met anyone who has grown up on pasties or who has family members who have, you know what I'm talking about. For pasty-lovers, the connection runs deep. It's more than just a food, it's a cultural identifier.
Pasties (pronounced as in 'past') are kind of like a pie folded in half; they're semicircular in shape and are traditionally filled with ingredients such as beef, potato, carrots, rutabaga, and onions. According to local history, pasties originated as food for miners, created so that miners could have lunch without getting their fingers in their food. Miners were able to hold the pasty by the folded crust and eat the rest without touching it.
Breakfast pasty at Jay's Cafe has a lighter crust than traditional pasties.
Jay Randolph of Jay's Café in St. Paul knows this stuff cold. He studied regional cuisine before updating the classic pasty for his menu. Randolph loved the idea of all the wonderful savory ingredients wrapped up in a single pastry package and yet, he disliked having to work his way through such "a big hunk of hard dough". The pasties at Jay's Café have a lighter crust. The café's pasty versions include one with walnut, apple, chicken and smoked gouda, and another with Fischer Farms pork shoulder, wild mushrooms and barbecue sauce. Jay's Café also serves a roasted vegetable and feta pasty, and a breakfast pasty full of scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and bacon that can be ordered with a side of hollandaise sauce. You can order the breakfast pasty every day, and usually one other pasty is also available. Randolph admits that serving pasties in this modern way can stir up controversy from traditional pasty lovers.
If you are craving a more traditional pasty, Jay Randolph suggests Milda's Café, which sells frozen pasties or warm pasties on certain days of the week. Randolph says that though the pasty qualifies as regional cuisine, it's interesting how many cultures seem to transport their meals in a crust. He says, the pasty is not so different a concept from Chinese steamed buns or empanadas.
If you'd rather try making some pasties of your own, stay tuned. I'll be posting a bona fide recipe in the Comments section later today.
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