Jamaican Beef Patties Recipe

Servings: 4

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 lrg onion
1 ml thyme
250 ml ground beef
1 ml pepper
2 ml salt
50 ml bread crumbs
2 ml curry powder
125 ml water

Pastry Ingredients:

250 ml all-purpose flour
1 ml turmeric
5 ml baking powder
75 ml shortening
2 ml curry powder
25 ml butter
1 ml salt
75 ml cold water

NOTE: the 75 ml shortening and 25 ml butter may be replaced with 100 ml of Golden Crisco [yellow label package]. If you like spicy food, you may want to add chopped fresh chili pepper the way most Jamaicans do.

Peel the onion; then chop it into small pieces. Place it in a frying pan with the ground beef and cook over medium heat until the meat is browned, about 5-10 minutes. Stir the meat frequently.

Add the salt, curry powder, thyme and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the bread crumbs and stir; then add the water. Cook over low heat for another 2-3 minutes. The mixture should not be watery. Set aside. Measure the flour, baking powder, curry powder, salt and turmeric into a large bowl.

Add the shortening and butter (or substitute), cutting them into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it resembles
course crumbs.

Add the cold water, stirring with a fork until you have a ball of dough formed. Divide it into 8 equal portions and set aside.

Set the oven to 180 C (350 F). You'll need a small glass of water and about 50 ml of flour to assemble the patties.

Sprinkle a little flour (about 15 ml) on a wooden board and on the rolling pin. Take one portion of dough and flatten it between your hands; then roll it out to a thin circle about 16 cm in diameter.

Space a scoop (40-50 ml) of the meat mixture on the pastry circle. Dip your fingers into the glass of water and moisten the edges of the dough.
Fold the circle in half, covering the meat, and press the edges together with a fork. (The TV advertised patty presses work well for this
process.)

You now have a half-moon shape that can be trimmed cleanly with a knife if the edges are a little ragged. Prick through the top crust of the
patty with a fork and place the patty on a baking sheet. Continue making the rest of the patties in the same manner, sprinkling more flour on the board if the dough begins to stick.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is cooked and lightly browned. Serve hot or cold.