Take me to the Caribbean!! Old Favorite: Jamaican Beef Patties

I'm so tired of the winter. Like seriously. All I want is warmth, sun, beach, ocean. Sounds like I want to be on vacation, huh? Well then what better way to pretend you're somewhere fabulous in the Caribbean than to eat and drink like it, right?! I found this recipe on - take a guess...Pinterest of course! And per usual, it failed me not. These were so delicious, and so easy to make (much to my surprise). I'm seriously tempted to make a bunch, freeze and stockpile them. Now just have to find a good rum punch recipe, according to the beau lol.

Jamaican Beef Patties (Adapted from Baltic Maid) 
Ingredients:
Pastry Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup / 1 stick / 113 g unsalted butter, softened but not melted
3/4 cup ice-cold water

Meat Filling
olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped (was fresh out of these :-/, worked fine without lol)
1 clove garlic, grated
2 Scotch bonnet chili peppers (any color), seeded and minced (So I couldn't locate these :( , so I ended up using about 2 tbsp of this Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce I found at the grocery store)
1-2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, or  to taste
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups water
2 slices whole grain bread, processed into crumbs in a food processor

Egg Wash
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the flour with the salt, baking powder and the curry. Add the butter and mix it in with your hands until it resembles a very coarse meal. At this point add the water. Squeeze the mixture until it just forms a ball. Knead once or twice to combine fully (the less kneading, the better).

Divide the dough into two pieces, shaping each into a thick pancake. Wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days.  Take it out 30 minutes before using it.

For the filling, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and add the beef, onion, spring onions, garlic, peppers, and thyme. Fry the meat until it turns brown and the moisture has evaporated. Add the curry, salt, and pepper, and constantly stir. A crust will form on the bottom of the pan.

Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir and scrap the bottom of the pan to incorporate the brown goodness on the bottom of the pan. Add the breadcrumbs and more water if necessary. Cover and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir the mix occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Divide each dough pieces into 4 pieces. Divide the meat in the pan into 8 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the dough pieces into a rectangular shape with rounded edges. Place one of the meat portions on one side of the rolled-out dough leaving a free border of about 1 cm.

With your finger, apply a little water around the edge. Fold the one side over the dough over the meat and seal the edge. Lightly press a fork around the edge to make a pattern. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Place the pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or foil sprayed with non-stick Pam, whichever you fancy). Brush them with the egg wash and bake them for about 20 minutes or until the pastries turn golden.

Then Bon Appetit! 

Feel free to top with cheese or your favorite hot sauce, but beware the scotch bonnet peppers/sauce packed the meat filling with its fair share of heat.

xox