This is how new topics begin.

Ketchup, ketchup, all the way! I know it's lowlife, but I don't care.
Skip the beer and wine..milk is best. Chocolate milk is fine too.

Gravy on a pasty??!!! That is just wrong....it's ketchup for me. That's just the way it is.

I still say a good pasty stands alone, needs nothing.........Thank you Charlie for this site. Should be interesting...........

Gravy is for all the Yooper wannabes. It has to be ketchup or nothing is fine also!

I agree with the ketsup lovers!!! But is it ketsup or catchup?

Try this website for the ketchup vs catsup question:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ket2.htm

Ketchup or plain, there are no other proper choices. Gravy is for mashed potatoes and DQ chicken strips.
Mr. Deb

Heinz 57 steak sauce, for that added zip :) And, if I'm out of steak sauce, then definately gravy...or a dab of sour cream.

As a fatter of mact, I've got a nice hot pasty here for lunch that is slathered in KETCHUP!
Mr. Deb

Mr Deb, I'll be over for that lunch. My vote goes with ketchup.

I've got the felling that pasties will be supper tonight also. I tell ya, my work never ends, sweating and slaving over the fridge and microwave.....just so my wife has a hot, nutritious meal when she gets home from work.

And then I'm going to take spelling lessons. Feeling, not felling.

A good pasty is fine plain, however I like a little extra butter and sometimes a little salt. On the other hand; gravy on french fries adds a bit of flavor.

Gotta agree with you on the french fries Gusso. Might have to try the extra butter, everyone knows that everything's better with butter!

Yup; I agree butter is better than OLEO on any thing

No ketchup on my pasties. I'll take 'em plain or with gravy. My opinion is that when one puts ketchup on anything, all you taste is ketchup!

If you're looking for banter about politics, you won't find it under 'Ketchup or Gravy'. Go back one level and try 'Politics'.

PLAIN.
PLAIN..
PLAIN...
No sense in ruining a good thing with additives.

A good plain Pasty and wash it down with a cold glass of Buttermilk.

A good plain pasty piping hot out of the oven, but not with buttermilk. YUCK!! It has to be an ice cold glass of milk with a piping hot pasty. What a combination. And if you have to put something on it, it should be ketchup. Gravy is just wrong.

Plain when hot outta the oven and a touch of ketchup on the cooled of leftover piece for snack!!!!! Can taste it now...................................

Hot outta the oven & Ketchup!!!!!!!!!

A fresh pasty stands alone, if nuked must have ketchup.

One thing I'd like to know. Just how many pasties do you have to cook to get enough drippings to make pasty gravy?
Mr. Deb

LOL...Mr. Deb is at it again!

Ketchup for sure. Gravy is for dishes where gravy is a result of cooking process, like roast
beef or turkey, not pasty. I think gravy started when pasty shops appeared near Detroit and the non-yoopers used gravy on 'em. Ugh.

Even though I'm not a Yooper, (I've been told by some that you can only be born to glory) I know that gravy doesn't go on pasties.
Mr. Deb

How about smothering your pasty with butter?

Butter only acts as a flavor enhancer, no matter what you put it on!!

Miracle Whip on a pasty I've known to eat. I agree on the gravy not being placed on a pasty. A place in Royal Oak, MI. called Barb's makes a good pasty. 14 mile & Crooks area, they asked me my first time in if I wanted gravy with my pasty. I said, " All them pictures of the U.P. you have on the wall I grew up near, I do not want gravy anywhere near my pasty."

Currently I reside under the bridge of this great state. I chuckle at the fun here, but I first heard of gravy as an option at a U.P. establishment. In fact I've never seen one offered with gravy any place else, honest.I should add I'm in South West Mi, and do not find Pasty on the menu at all.

David, did Barb's move from the 14 Mile and Main Street area to Crooks now? Plan to be back in Royal Oak area next summer and we do get them from Barb's when we don't have time to make them.

Betty, Barb's is still on Livernois, in Clawson, south of 14 Mile and 4 blocks north of Normandy (13 1/2 Mile) the north boundary of Royal Oak. In Royal Oak, Livernois is called Main Street down to the south border at 10 Mile Road.

I will say again, butter, salt and pepper on a hot pasty is the most "Yooper" way, but I spritz ketchup on a cold half pasty out of the refridgerator and eat it like a sandwich. (It's usually the other half of my wife's)

All right, I'll bite! I like mine with both ketchup and mustard. No gravy though! It's football season at my house which also means Sunday afternoon pasties!

I've been gone to long,and wrote Crooks instead of Main. I yoosta work off of Delemere. Thanks Bob you got the right place.

Brooke, I'm with you. I like plain pasties hot out of the oven, but when they're nuked I like ketchup on them, also served with milk.

Ok, I might be exposing myself here just a bit (no, not THAT way...), but I actually like my pasty with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy over the entire plate. However, I also like my pasty with ketchup. I also like my pasty with some tobasco. I also like my pasty plain out of the oven, etc.... I guess what I'm getting at is I like pasties no matter what the condiment or lack thereof, it really depends on my mood.
Now for the ultimate in intestinal fortitude, go for Poutine and a Blue!! mmmm ;-)

For a hypergalic mixture, try cabbage and beer. Could be an integral part of the NORTH BEACH DIET. A good second course to the pasty meal.

Anyone mixing cabbage and beer with a pasty is a public hazard.

We always had pasties with a side of coleslaw. and a good cold beer with it is just dandy!

Click ® hypergalic?

How about apple sauce?

Apple sauce? I don't know.

OK, HYPERGOLIC. Thank you Mr Nash. My spell check couldn't find it, so I gave it a shot in the dark. Stayed dark till you shed some Lite on it.

Rowdy (Roudymi):

Actually, I didn't have a clue myself, so I looked it up using OneLook dictionary search. I've found that one to be a great tool. lots o' bang for the buck!!

How about A-1?

How about A-knot?

FRNash, did you ever find the potato crust recipe? Wouldn't that be almost like rolling pasty filling in lefse?
Mr. Deb

I didn't learn to make pasties until late in life, as Mom and Dad always did that together. The first time I made them for my daughters and their families after Dad and Mom had passed away, my oldest asked for Ranch dressing! She was in a stage in her life when she put Ranch dressing on everything! I was pretty horrifed with the thought, as I like em with ketchup, or plain. Hey, to each his own, I suppose. I am happy to at least pass down the tradition of making pasties. They can dress em up anyway that they please.
Has anybody else tried Ranch dressing?

I think my wife(pure-blood Yooper that she is) would beat me with a pan if I put ranch dressing on a pasty! LOL She tends to frown when I use ketchup on fresh pasties, that's for day old!
Mr. Deb

Ketchup.
I put ketchup on most anything, to my wifes dismay.
Gravy is good but you need extra bread or rolls to sop it up.
Ketchup for a Pasty, or eggs, or...

Hey Peter, I like ketchup on eggs. When we were young and went camping, you couldn't have eggs in the morning without ketchup. It was great. I like it on pasties too, if they're reheated. Fresh out of the oven has to be plain with an ice cold glass of milk. Try it!

Deb, ketchup on eggs,yes! with potatos and toast as well, and of course bacon and or sausage!

Yes, Uncle Chuck! You always had to have fried potatoes in lots of grease and toast with some kind of meat. The ketchup on the eggs was scrumptious!

NO ketchup or gravy on MY pasties! I've been told that ketchup is for hiding a bad taste! And gravy, COME ON! I never heard of gravy on pasties until at a restaurant in Butte, Montana! A good ol' pasty from the U.P. doesn't have ANYTHING to hide!

Just watched the Taste of America show on the Travel Channel and they showed how pastys were made. Charlie you should have seen the crap they said were pasty. They also said that pasty was originated in Macinaw City not in the UP. We should all send the Travel Channel an email protesting this inacuracy. I am really PO'D about this. Bad enough that they put gravy on the pasty but to say it is from the LP shold not be tolerated.

I've always understood the pasty was introduced to the U.S. by Cornish miners. It's a very old dish in Cornwall, England. I wonder if pasties were made in Fort Mackinaw when the Redcoats occupied the place?

Mikie,
Here's a recipe from the UK for pasties:

Cornish Pasty

Filling:
1 lb boneless mutton
small sized onions
1 small swede
finely chopped parsley
3 med. sized potatoes
1 white turnip
1 small piece trombone
salt and pepper

Pastry:
2 trips S.R. flour
3/4 lb beef dripping
2 cups plain flour
1 tspn salt.

Mix with water, roll out and cut into strips. this mixture makes 6 nice sized pasties.

Never tried this, but looks interesting. Have a couple questions though.... 1 small swede? Where in the world can one find a small swede? They're all pretty big guys, the ones I know. And... 1 small piece trombone....I wonder if they mean the slide or the mouthpiece? :->

That's really funny, Mrbill! Were you just checking to be sure we read it through? Thanks for making it a Swede and not a Norwegian! LOL

Swede is the English name for rutabaga. I have no idea what "trombone" refers to

they have pasties in Wisconsin as well, mainly around the Mineral Point are which is southwest of Madison.
They are Cornsih pasties introduced by the lead miners.

I've had them twice. They do not taste anything at all like the CC pasties...not even close, and a lot more expensive..more in the $7 range.

Here is a link to a lady making a pasty from Mineral Point..it looks the same
http://csumc.wisc.edu/gallery/albun02

Right you are, Bob. Rutabaga is called a swede in the UK. The 'trombone' mentioned is a squash. Think it got its name from the shape of it. Across the pond in Old Country, they often throw just about anything in a pasty except the kitchen sink. They even partition pasties, with dessert on one end. Quite unlike what we're used to in this country.

Right you are, too, Davesou. We stopped for a pasty meal in Mineral Point circa 7 yrs ago. They were baaaaad. Doughy crust w/soggy filling.....mostly spuds and little meat.....and yes, expensive. They'd never stay in business in da Yoop, eh?

PASTY: When I was a kid and my Grandmother lived with us for a short time. She had her own recipe for FISH Pasty and believe or not it was very tasty. I am just sorry I never got the recipe.

(Gusso)

Never heard of a fish pasty, but why not? With the right kind of fish and suitable flavoring it must be good. Maybe a lawyer would be a good choice for the filling.

I don't think a lawyer is a good choice for anything.

Thanks on the info on the trombone. By searching on trombone squash I now learned that the Italian Trombone Squash is a member of the zucchini family.

Thank you for the education on a swede and a trombone today, in the cooking context.

Fish Pasty; as far as I can recall Grandma used either Trout or Salmon. Any other large fish she would to bake with milk and potaoes.

LOL! I hear ya, Bob. They're bottom feeders, slimy as all get-out and ugly as sin, but once they're processed, they yield a light, delicate flesh. We call them "Poor Man's Lobster" in our neck of the woods, and they grow quite large. They really are fine table fare....if you can forget what they look like whole. Another name is Burbot, and there is most likely other names.

Yes, Marianne. In answer to your first posting regarding swedes and trombones, that was the intent. ;-) I may have erred in implying they are called swedes only in the UK. I have a friend in his mid-80's who still calls rutabagas 'swedes'. He grew up in National Mine (near Ishpeming), and both his parents were Finnish immigrants, so perhaps the name 'swede' is used throughout Northern Europe and elsewhere. Something to research on a rainy day.

(Gusso)
That last dish of your grandmother's is getting close to 'kalamojakka', another wholesome food.

(Heikki) Well fish stew isn't bad although I prefer some good old Peasoup that we would have for a few days after having a ham dinner.

(Gusso)

Yep! Nothing like homemade pea soup. I love it. But my friends don't want to be around me for a spell. ;-) Another good use for leftover ham...and especially the ham bone, is boiled dinner. Gotta have the bone in the kettle to get the right flavor. One of my favorite winter dishes.

(Heikki) I agree any soup or stew made from Ham Gotta have the Bone. I also like meatballs made from ground up ham.

My dad always loved homemade split pea soup, with ham and ham bones. I ate it, but I did not love it. :-) Now, a good beef stew boiled dinner, or mild chili, sound good for dinner on a cold winter's night. :-)

Never tried that before, Gusso....ground up ham for meatballs. Sounds good!

Marianne, I'd drive 20 miles out of my way for good beef stew any day of the year. Homemade is usually the best, but had a great stew once at Fort William in Thunder Bay, Ontario. And that included homemade bread baked in their ovens. Fort William is a historical park. They did a great job of restoration. Had our meal in a large chow hall having tables and benches made of hewn logs. Very rustic, like the olden days.

Ham Meatball: the trick is a rough ground ham, some egg and crushed crackers with a libral amount of fine chopped onion,then form into meat balls, brown the surface in a fry pan then cook in the oven for 45 min. at 325 temp. When about 1/2 way through baking pour a can of cream of mushroom soup over all the meatballs and finish baking.

Gusso...
Thx for the recipe. Gonna try it soon.

I was born in Laurium. Pasties hot out of the
oven are tempered with ketchup. The red stuff
helps to cool the golden brown beast, so that
one could eat it sooner. The true question is,
"Which is the best Ketchup to go with a pasty"?
My vote is Heinz.
www.music-for-the-soul.com

The way we had pasties when I was a kid, mom made them on Wednesdays when she had off of work. And the best side dish was a bowl of wilted lettuce to go with. Mmmmmmmm. As for ham meatballs, we have ham loaf around this area of Il. Can also be made into meatballs. But the best way to fix hamloaf was with a brown sugar and mustard topping on top for the last half of the baking! Double Mmmmmmmm.

KETCHUP (or is it catsup?) if I'm sitting at a table. If I'm passing through Marquette (Jean kays) or Ishpeming (Grandma T's) and driving its tough to put on the ketchup so I eat 'em plain. Fresh and hot is ok plain, in fact maybe better.

Anyone ever had a bowl of Slovakian chicken soup and some freshly baked homemade bread? It is a great belly warmer and energy booster during frigid weather.

My brother bought a Pasty at a place near him downstate and they make good pasties, however he was upset because as he put it "they sold out" and now have buffalo chicken pasties on the menu. Then they topped it off by asking if he wanted gravy with it, he said "They should have their yooper card pulled!" So he went home with his pasty (sans gravy) probably had some ketchup and sulked because he wasn't up here.

I have to toss this in to the discussion -- I'm a ketchup boy myself, but this isn't about me.

I lived in Ontario for several years, earning a degree. While there I sang the praises of the UP (and I'm sure my friends all got very tired of it!). To prove that I wasn't making this all up, I would bring back a bunch of frozen pasties whenever I visited. Of course, I taught everyone to use ketchup, but one fellow had a better idea. He went to the fridge and got out some tzatziki sauce (that yogurt and cucumber sauce for gyros). He happily piled it on his pasty and (apparently) loved every bite of it. After that, I could never convince him to put anything else on his pasty!

DEFINATLY ketchup! i just made my first homemade patys today and putting gravy on those pies from heaven would be a capitol crime. im not even kidding you. look it up.Its in there.Just kidding!but still.....Gravy?BBBLUGH!

As soon as I saw the topic, "ketchup or gravy" I knew exactly what the discussion was ! You have to be from Copper Country Parents to catch that one.

Oh Yeah, forgot to add that Cream of Chicken Soup made thick is mighty tasty on a pasty as well ! You know, when you're out of Heinz ketchup and Hunt's just don't cut it !

I say to each their own...We all have preferences but as for me...Standard bottled ketchup is boring!...When I make venison pasties, I lay them out on the plate and smother them with beefy dark gravy or garlic mushroom soup and sprinkle a bit of tabasco on it!...

I can understand the use of dark gravy, garlic, and tabasco on venison pasties. Anything to cover the taste of venison.........

I had a pasty once in St. Ignace. They served it with gravy and I almost tossed my cookies. I refused to pay for that garbage and never went back. I would never eat anything from a place that served gravy on a pasty. I don't believe that they would have any good food if they murder a pasty that way.

Had to throw a quick supper together last night. There was one frozen pasty, and a box of pork eggrolls in the freezer.
I cooked them up in the oven.
Split the pasty in half for myself and wife.

Went into the fridge to get the sweet and sour sauce...NONE !!! what to do?
Well, there was some strawberry jam, not the CC kind, but that nasty Smuckers brand, but strawberry jam none the less. It actually tasted pretty good on those egg rolls.

Anyway, some of the strawberry jam got on my pasty...and guess what!. It tasted really good. So now I may have a new favorite way to eat pasty...strawberry jam on it.

Plain. and out of the oven. We never seem to have any leftovers,
but I bet even a left over should stand on its own. We have had
good Pasties at Tony's in Laurium and a good one in a stand along
the Highway in Marquette. I know the place in Hancock that offers
gravy. Yuck!

My vote for the best Pasty in the U.P. is the Hut....As authentic as they come.......FJL

My gosh, I don't believe it! For once I agree with FJL!! Venison pasties would definitely need something. Better yet, don't eat them at all.
Pasties are best hot out of the oven with nothing but some salt. I can't see ruining the true flavor of a pasty.
There's a place in Calumet by Pamida that has decent pasties. They're the best I've found UP there other than fresh out of my mom's oven.

Toni's in Laurium serves a good one too!

Must be Connie's near Pamida.

One of my younger brothers married a Mexican gal and lives in AZ. Their son eats his pasty with SALSA. Yikes!

Lets be glad that your nephew eats pasties. And hopefully knows something about their origin and acceptance in the US.
Hope all is well with you.

I made a batch with venison this weekend and they turned out good. Maybe it is just my culinary skills showing;)

Bill likes mustard on his pasty, i like ketchup.

I'm chuckeling at the thought of what my father's comment would be to this discussion.
In his opinion and mine too... there is only one way to eat pasties and that's smothered in ketchup!

It is true ketchup has vitamin "C", but many people use it to cover up the original flavor of what they are eating and pasty is quite flavorable if made right. As for me just little extra butter and perhaps salt suits me fine.

I'm a first timer on this site. I was looking for a picture of a pasty to use on a poster I was making, so I googled "pasty", and found this site. I'm a transplanted Yooper born and raised in Mass City. My comment to anyone who mentions the "G" word in relation to pasties is, "that is prostituting a pasty." Plain is good but a little ketchup is even better. When the Yooper wannabees talk about using that "G" word on a pasty, I excuse them for their ignorance regarding the proper pasty eating etiquette.

I had my first pastie sometime in 1938,in Calumet, it had ketchup on it! My grandmother Ryan made the best,and we ate them with ketchup!

Going back to what I was saying a while back...It's not a matter of etiquette or whatever...It's preference...That's like saying eggs are only proper when they're over easy instead of scrambled....
I say to each their own...I like pasties but I've never had one from 'anywhere' that wasn't more on the dry side....thus I like gravy with a dash of tabasco because ketchup is sooooooo bland!....

Salsa? Strawberry Jam? Heinz 57 Sauce? Mustard? Tobasco? Tzatziki sauce? And to think, I though gravy was weird! For me it's catsup #1, butter, sale, & pepper #3, and yes gravy #3.
The real question however should be: Rutabega or not?

DEFINITELY CATSUP!!

Rutabaga's not even a discussion. Has to be in there.

Rutabaga is a must. Wouldn't be a pasty without it. And a real man only uses catsup. Gravy is for Trolls.

I was born a Yooper down south in Escanaba a long time ago, and after reading this thread I decided it was time to bake a pasty for the first time in my life. I made some today and they were deeeelicious. But no gravy or ketchup, just butter and salt and pepper.

You folks have all missed out on G'Ma Beaudry's pasties, unless your name is Sue. The crust was heavenly.

Wasn't born in the UP but just across the Montreal River in Hurley. So I'm sorta yooper, but grew up among the miners and their families in Ramsay. Catsup/Ketchup only thank you very much. Everything else is just........ewwwwwwww. I still make my own, lard crust and all. Tried for years to find decent ones frozen but no such luck. If I can convince my daughter to do a production line we can make about twenty and freeze them. Gravy? First time I saw gravy on french fries was in Canada, not bad. But not on a pasty. Used to buy good ones at the bakery in Wakefield, but don't get up that way any more since no family left in the area. Mmmm now I want a pasty and I just happen to have some fresh pie crust ready to roll............

You apparently have never had a Pasty Central pasty. Quite simply, the best in the Universe. Can't wait for them to start shipping again after Labor Day.

I agree RD, looks and taste's home made without the fuss. Great product, please don't change it..............