Cairbbean Love

Two weeks in the city and I'm ready for some beach time! This recipe was inspired by all my wonderful island people, whom I hold in such a pure place in my heart. I know this isnt a traditional Bajan dish, such as a "roti", but they were made with love and enjoyed with friends.

ENJOY!

Jamaican Beef Patties

Ingredients:

Pastry Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 heaping teaspoon of fine grain sea salt
¾ cup butter (12 tablespoons or 1 ½ sticks), chilled and cubed
½ cup ice water

Filling:
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or ¾ teaspoons fresh, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried rosemary or ½ tablespoon fresh, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons hot sauce (can use less)
½ pound ground beef
1 tablespoon vegetable, canola, or olive oil
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
¼ cup diced onion
~ ½ cup water (enough just to cover the meat)
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Make the Pastry Dough:
– Combine the flour, turmeric powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter.
- Using your fingertips, rub the butter and flour together. When the butter is the size of chickpeas, add the ice water just until the dough comes together.
- Dump the dough (it will be a shaggy mess with many large chunks of butter coated in flour) onto a floured work surface.
Using the palm of your hand, smear the butter and flour from one end of the pile of dough to the opposite end. Repeat this step until a structured dough forms (shouldn’t have chunks of butter showing, and it should not be a shaggy mess).
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, while you make the filling (procedure follows).

Make the Filling:
- Mix thyme, chili powder, rosemary and hot sauce in a small bowl. Add to the ground beef and mix.
- Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.
- Add bell pepper and onions.
- Cook, stirring until softened, but not browned.
- Add beef, breaking up any clumps.
- Add enough water just to cover the meat (kamran note: I used ½ cup).
- Mix in salt.
- Simmer for 24 minutes to ½ hour, until the meat is sort and the water has reduced to a sauce.
- Set meat mixture aside and cool.

Assemble the Patties:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Remove the disk of dough from the refrigerator, and divide it in half. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until there is enough space for 6 circles to be cut (each about 5 inches across). You may need to re-roll the scraps to make all 6 patties.
- Once the filling has cooled completely, have a bowl of water and a fork on hand. Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of filling on the lower half of each circle of dough. Dip a finger into the water, and moisten the edge of the dough. Fold the top half over, pulling the dough gently. Crimp the edge with a fork, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush each pastry (optional) with an egg wash. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until top crust is firm and golden. Serve warm.