On Fri, 29 Jan 1999 12:37:11 -0500 davesas@tiac.net (Dave Sacerdote) writes: >Anyone got a good recipe or two for Jamaican Meat Patties? here's two...you will want to increase the heat... MMMMM----- Meal-Master Recipe via Home Cookin 3.3 Title: Jamaican Beef Patties Categories: Home Cookin, Yield: 4 PASTRY: 4 Cup all-purpose flour 1/2 ts baking powder 1 ts ground turmeric [this will make the pastry yellow in color like the ones you mentioned in your request] 1 ts salt 1 c solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature x 1 Cup very cold water FILLING:2 medium-size onions 3 scallions, including tops 2 hot peppers, preferably Scotch bonnets 1-1/2 lb ground beef or chuck 2 ts oil 5 c fresh bread crumbs (3/4 lb) 3/4 ts ground turmeric Salt and pepper to taste 3/4 to 1 Cup water To make the pastry, sift together the flour, baking powder, turmeric, and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the dough has the consistency of cornmeal. Gradually add just enough cold water to hold the dough together, mixing it in with your fingers or a dough hook. The key, however, is never overwork your dough! Wrap the dough in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. You may also refrigerate the dough as long as overnight, but then you will need to give it 15 minutes to warm up before using. To prepare the filling, mince the onions, scallions, and peppers in a food processor, or chop very finely by hand. Add to the beef and mix well. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet, then cook the meat mixture in it until just lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and seasonings and stir well. Add the water.cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, as needed to evaporate excess liquid. The mixture should be just wet, not runny or dry. Allow to cool while you roll out the pastry. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Divide the dough into 24 even-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to a thickness of about 3/8 inch -- a little thicker than pie dough -- and cut into a circle using a small saucer (approximately 4 inches across). Keep the patty dough circles moist by stacking and covering with a damp cloth. After all the circles are cut, take one at a time, and spoon on enough filling to cover half of the circle. Fold the other half over, and seal the edges by crimping with a fork. Bake the patties on ungreased baking sheets for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot when possible; however, Jamaicans will eat them any way they can! Yield: 24 patties From Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica by Helen Wilensky, Crossing Press, ISBN 0-89594-439-1 MMMMM MMMMM----- Meal-Master Recipe via Home Cookin 3.3 Title: Meat Patties (Jamaica) Categories: Home Cookin, Yield: 4 Keywords: Ground Beef From Sugar Reef Caribbean Cooking by Devra Dedeaux, Roundtable Press, ISBN 0-07-062457-7 PASTRY: 2 Cup flour 1/4 ts salt 1/4 c solid shortening 1/4 c (1/2 stick) margarine 1/3 c cold water MEAT FILLING: 2 ts margarine 1 sm white onion, finely chopped 1/4 ts chopped Scotch Bonnet pepper (very fruity and spicy local hot pepper; substitute accordingly) 1/2 lb lean ground beef 1/2 ts salt 1/2 ts freshly ground black pepper 1/2 ts curry powder 1/2 ts dried thyme 1/4 c bread crumbs 1/4 c beef or chicken stock 1 egg, beaten 1/4 c water Note: The Spanish call their delectable meat pies pasteles. In the islands the patties were transformed to utilize native ingredients, such a potatoes, plaintains, and bananas. The frugal Indian and African population saved scraps of meat left over from meals, ground them up with seasonings, and enclosed them in pastry. 1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and margarine until crumbly. Add the cold water to make a stiff dough. Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 8-inch circles. Cover with wax paper or a damp cloth towel until ready to use. 2. In a heavy skillet, melt the margarine and saute the onion and Scotch Bonnet pepper until they become limp. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, curry powder, and thyme and mix well. Brown the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Add the bread crumbs and the stock, and combine all the ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When all the liquids have been absorbed, the filling is ready. It should be moist but not watery. Remove the skillet from the stove and preheat the oven to 400 deg F. 4. Uncover the dough circles and place 2 to 3 T of filling on each half. Moisten the edges of the dough with water and fold the remaining half over the meat filling. Pinch the edges closed with a fork. Lghtly brush the postry with a mixture of the egg and water. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. MMMMM ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]