JAMAICAN BEEF PATTIES

My family regularly requests for me to make my version of Jamaican Patties and they are devoured pretty well as fast as I pull them out of the oven. The pastry is flaky and tender while the filling is packed with the flavours of curried beef, onion, scotch bonnet and just a hint of thyme.

My very first and all time favourite Pastor was one of the kindest men I have ever known and we are still thankful for the influence he had in our lives even though he has gone on to his reward in Heaven.  He was Jamaican and as our church was small and very close knit, I was privileged to eat Jamaican food on a regular basis.  My favourites were always the Jamaican Patties, curried beef loaded with heavy dumplings and the fluffy fried sweet dumplings my Pastor’s wife made & brought for me in a brown paper bag almost every Sunday.  I have so many precious memories of Reverend Elmar & Mavis Neil and am reminded of them every time I make a Jamaican dish.

Try eating them with a small dash of worcestershire sauce like my kids do.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 3 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 cup lard or shortening (chilled & grated)

• 1 Tbsp turmeric powder

• 1 Tbsp curry powder

• 1 cup ice cold water

Meat Filling:

• 1 lb lean ground beef

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

• 2-3 tsp Scotch bonnet hot pepper sauce (adjust to spice preference)

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 2 tbsp curry

• 1/2 salt

• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes

• 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

• 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dry)

• 1 cup beef or chicken stock

• 1 beaten egg

• 2 cloves minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tbsp butter

Filling Instructions:

• Sauté beef , onions & garlic on med-low until onions are tender. Add broth & simmer 20 minutes.

• Add rest of filling ingredients and stir well and set aside.

Pastry Instructions:

• In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt, sugar, turmeric, curry powder, grated lard/shortening and mix. The mixture should be a breadcrumb texture..

• Add the ice cold water & mix until well combined.

• Wrap dough in plastic, and chill for 30 mins.

Assembling Patties:

• Preheat oven to 375 F

• Remove dough from fridge and roll out to 1/4” thickness. 

• Depending on the size patty you want, use a 4” - 6” circle cutter (or an inverted bowl and cut around it with a knife), cut out circle rounds. 

• Fill each pastry round with 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of the pastry.

• Brush the edges with a touch of water or beaten egg and fold the dough over to resemble a half moon. Press the outer end with a fork to seal the seams.

• Place the patties onto a parchment lined baking tray. Chill formed patties for 30 minutes before baking in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.