Breakfast Bean Pasties

We have it on good authority, that Peter’s Breakfast Bean Pasties recipe below is one of the Australian Trail Horse riders’ favourite breakfasts.

Not only are they delicious, they are high in protein and they keep the riders energised until lunch time. They also travel well and make a good lunch, cold or hot.

This recipe is great for camping as all ingredients require little to no refrigeration.

Ingredients:

Breakfast Beans

200g dried kidney beans (soak overnight to speed up cooking)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
50g speck
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper
Chilli or garlic

Tip: Buy tomato paste in sachets. Fountain and Leggo’s have handy sachets that conveniently contain 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste, so you don’t need to worry about wasting the left overs and it will store without refrigeration. Only take what you need!

Alternative: Speck is smoked salted bacon that will keep without refrigeration except in the most extreme heat. As an alternative, you can use a good quality oil and bacon flakes.

Pasties

1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon oil

Methods:

Breakfast Beans Method:

Boil the beans in unsalted water until tender then drain.
Melt speck over a low heat then add onion and brown sugar. Cook while stirring for 2 minutes then add tomato paste and cook one more minute. Add beans and stir in until coated then add enough water to just cover. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, cook until a thick sauce is made. Add more water if it becomes too reduced. Season with salt and pepper and add chilli or garlic to taste and enjoy!

Tip: It is important to cook the beans thoroughly in unsalted water as salt will make them tough.

Pasties Method:

Combine the self-raising flour, water and oil. Mix until a smooth dough is formed.
Let rest for 5 minutes then make into 4 even sized balls. Roll out or stretch with your hands until you have a 15cm disk.

To cook as a flat bread, cook the disk in a dry pan and top with the beans.

To make the pan pastie fill the centre of the disk with beans, fold in half to form a pastie shape and crimp on edges to hold together. Fry at a low temperature in a little oil. These travel well and make a good lunch cold or hot.

This recipe was published in Horses and People March-April 2020 magazine.