Jamaican me Patties Mon!

For all the years I travelled working on the cruise ships I have always loved the different cuisines of the Caribbean Islands. One of my favorite treats that I could always find at the airports were Jamaican Meat Patties. I had found them here in the freezer section of my local grocery, but they were just not the same. So I decided to try and make my own. Now I will warn you this is a bit involved, but it is worth it. The key to the success is the light flaky pastry you make for the crust. This is not only flaky but has a savory flavor with a hint of aromatic spice.

You start with your filling, now there are many variations you can use. I used beef, but you could use chicken, pork, or I even thought this would be wonderful with crabmeat as a filling. One of the favorites is lamb. If you can find ground lamb your on your way to Tastyville. (Tastyville is 6 miles west of Guy Fieri's Flavor Town) Any meat you can have ground would work. I supposed deer or turkey would be fine although I have never been a fan of ground turkey. You can also go the indian route and stir up some lumpy mashed potatoes with some nice spices and curry powder and use that as well.

If you follw the simple directions for making the filling you can use about any meat, you do not need to cook the crab as much as the others. Even fish filets can be minced up in your pan as you are sautéing the onions and garlic. The bread crumbs help bind whatever it is you are using for the meat in these patties.

Pastry Crust
2 cups plain flour
½ stick of butter (very cold)
⅔ cup of shortening
1 tbs curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt (I use yellow popcorn salt)
⅓ cup of ice water

Pattie Filling
1 lb ground beef (or any meat)
1 small onion (diced small)
4 green onions (sliced very thin)
3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tbs oil
2 tbs Curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt & pepper (each)
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tbs flour
½ cup of water
1 egg + 1 tbs water for egg glaze

In a mixing bowl sift together all the dry ingredients for the crust, one combined thoroughly, add your shortening and butter. I dice the butter in small cubes to help mix it easier. Using your pastry blender, have a go at the until it looks like coarse wet sand. Add the ice cold water and work it in. Dump pastry onto sheet of plastic wrap, roll it into a loaf-like shape and seal well with plastic. Put in the fridge for about and hour.

Saute the onions, green onions, and garlic in a pan in the 2 tbs of oil. When wilted, add the meat and stir and mash until me is broken up. Add spices and cook until meat is done. Add breadcrumbs and sprinkle the 2 tbs of flour over the meat and stir it in. Now add ½ cup of warm water to help the binders thicken the meat. Let this cool and take out your Pastry dough.

Divide the pastry into 8 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then onto the board it goes. I use clear wrap on the top and bottom of the rolling process. Roll the dough out to approx. a 6 in. circle. Brush the inside with an egg glaze, then add about a ¼ - ⅓ cup of the filling meat. Fold the pastry over and crimp the edges with a fork. Place these onto a sprayed cookie sheet, brush the tops with the egg glaze, and into a 350º oven for between 15 - 20 mins. Let these cool before eating them.

Give these a try, take your time and you will be pleased with the tasty results. Enjoy!

RouxBDoo