Jamaican Meat Patties
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Curry powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2/3 cup Shortening (Crisco or similar) – Cold
- 1/4 cup Butter, cubed & cold1/3 cup
- 1 cup Water – Ice cold
For the filling
- 2 tsp Canola oil
- 1 ea Onion – small and chopped
- 3 ea Scallions – sliced
- 2 ea Garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 tbsp Curry powder
- 1 tsp Thyme, dried
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
To make the dough
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, curry powder, turmeric and salt. Cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture is a coarse crumb texture. Drizzle in the water, stirring with a fork and adding up to 2 Tbsp film more water if needed to bring it together as a soft dough. This step can also be done in a food processor, puling until you get the desired result. Form the dough into a ball then flatten out into a disc. Wrap in cling and refrigerate for an hour. This dough can be refrigerated for up 5 days of frozen for up to 3 weeks.
To make the filling
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, spring onions, garlic and cayenne pepper for about 3 minutes or until the onions have softened. Remove the onions and set aside. Over a high heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes, until all pink has gone. Drain away excess fat then return the onions ot the pan,, adding the curry powder, thyme, turmeric, salt and pepper. cook for a further 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the cup of water, bring to a boil and then add in the breadcrumbs. Simmer for 3 minutes to thicken. Allow to cool.
To assemble the patties
- Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 5 inch circle. Brush the edges of one half with water, place 2 Tbsp of filling in the center then bring the other side over to make a half circle. Crimp firmly with a fork to seal. Stab the top with the fork twice to allow steam to escape and place on n ungreased baking sheet. At this stage, you can cover and refrigerate the patties for up to 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove to a rack to cool.