Faux Jamaican Beef Patties
By: rlene
Published: Saturday, October 9, 2010 - 4:45pm

Ingredients




3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 tablespoon ground turmeric
1/4 cup cold shortening
1/4 cup cold margerine
3/4 cup ice cold water
Now for the meat-
2 tablespoons oil
1 small white onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet pepper, diced
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I used mild but you can use hot to turn up the temperature)
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried or fresh
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup beef or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon mild or hot jerk seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup water

Preparation

1 Pastry: 2 Sift the flour, turmeric and salt into a large bowl. 3 Cut in the shortening and margarine until butter is the size of small peas. 4 Add the cold water a little at a time to make a stiff dough. 5 Lightly flour a wooden cutting board or your countertop and roll out the dough until about 1/8-inch thick. 6 Cut out 8-inch circles. 7 Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use. 8 The meat: 9 In a heavy skillet with a cover,heat the oil and sauté the onion and Scotch Bonnet pepper until transluscent. 10 Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, curry powder, jerk seasoning and thyme and mix well. 11 Cook the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 12 Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all the ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 13 When all the liquids have been absorbed, the filling is ready. 14 It should be moist but not watery. 15 Remove the skillet from the stove and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 16 Uncover the dough circles and place 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling on half of each. 17 Moisten the edges of the dough with water and fold the dough circle over the meat filling. 18 Press the edges closed gently with a fork. 19 Lightly brush the pastry with a mixture of the egg and water. 20 Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes or until the patties are golden brown. 21 Serve hot and imagine yourself somewhere tropical, like me!