Title: Jamaican Beef Patties
Categories: Home Cookin,
Yield: 4
PASTRY: 4 Cup all-purpose
flour
1/2 ts baking powder
1 ts ground turmeric [this
will make the pastry yellow
in color like the ones
you mentioned
in your request]
1 ts salt
1 c solid vegetable
shortening, at
room temperature
x 1 Cup very cold water
FILLING:2 medium-size
onions
3 scallions, including tops
2 hot peppers, preferably
Scotch
bonnets
1-1/2 lb ground beef or chuck
2 ts oil
5 c fresh bread crumbs (3/4 lb)
3/4 ts ground turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 to 1 Cup water
To make the pastry, sift together the flour, baking powder,
turmeric, and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender
or 2 knives until the dough has the consistency of cornmeal.
Gradually add just enough cold water to hold the dough together,
mixing it in with your fingers or a dough hook. The key,
however, is never overwork your dough!
Wrap the dough in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate while you
prepare the filling. You may also refrigerate the dough as long
as overnight, but then you will need to give it 15 minutes to
warm up before using.
To prepare the filling, mince the onions, scallions, and peppers
in a food processor, or chop very finely by hand. Add to the
beef and mix well. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large
skillet, then cook the meat mixture in it until just lightly
browned, about 10 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and seasonings
and stir well. Add the water.cover and simmer for 20 to 30
minutes, as needed to evaporate excess liquid. The mixture should
be just wet, not runny or dry. Allow to cool while you roll out
the pastry.
Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Divide the dough into 24
even-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each
piece of dough to a thickness of about 3/8 inch -- a little
thicker than pie dough -- and cut into a circle using a small
saucer (approximately 4 inches across). Keep the patty dough
circles moist by stacking and covering with a damp cloth. After
all the circles are cut, take one at a time, and spoon on enough
filling to cover half of the circle. Fold the other half over,
and seal the edges by crimping with a fork.
Bake the patties on ungreased baking sheets for 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve hot when possible; however, Jamaicans will eat them any
way they can!
Yield: 24 patties
From Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica by Helen Wilensky, Crossing
Press, ISBN 0-89594-439-1
