-=> Quoting Dave Sacerdote to All <=- DS> Anyone got a good recipe or two for Jamaican Meat Patties? This version is as good as any I have found. I use curry powder and lard in my crust and French bread for the crumbs. I also use caribou not beef cause it tastes better and beef gives you cancer. <G> MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Jamaican Patties Categories: Caribbean, Beef, Pork Yield: 12 Servings For Pastry: 4 c Flour 1/2 ts Baking powder 2 ts Turmeric 1 ts Salt 1 c Vegetable shortening; at -room temperature Traditional Patty Filling: 1 1/2 lb Ground beef or pork 2 Onions; finely chopped 5 Scallions; finely chopped 2 Scotch bonnet peppers; -finely chopped (up to 3) 2 tb Fresh thyme leaves; chopped 2 Garlic cloves 1 tb Ginger root; grated 2 tb Vegetable oil 5 c Fresh breadcrumbs; (3/4 -pound) 3/4 ts Turmeric or Jamaican curry -powder, * see note Salt and pepper; to taste 3/4 c Water To make the pastry dough, sift together the flour, baking powder, turmeric & salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the dough has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. While mixing in an electric mixer with a dough hook or by hand with a fork, slowly add cold water to the dough just till the dough holds together. For a light crust avoid overworking the dough. Wrap the dough in foil or plastic and chill it while you make the filling. (You can refrigerate the dough as long as overnight, but remember to let it warm up a little before using it.) To make the filling, put the beef or pork into a bowl and add the onions, scallions, scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, garlic & ginger. Mix well. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large skillet and cook the meat over medium high heat until it is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, turmeric, salt & pepper & stir well. Add the water, cover the pan, and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes. The mixture should be the consistency of thick chili- wet, not runny or dry & crumbly. Allow the filling to cool while you roll out the pastry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To assemble the patties, divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to the thickness of a pencil (1/4 inch). Using a small soup bowl or a 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into a circle. Keep the patty dough circles moist by stacking them and covering them with a damp cloth. After all the circles are cut out, spoon enough filling into the center of each circle to cover half of it. Fold the pastry circle in half, and crimp the edge with a fork. Bake the patties on an ungreased baking sheet for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve them hot. Freeze leftovers for a quick snack later on. Pastry Notes: You can substitute curry powder or ground annato in the pastry dough. Suet, lard, butter or a combination of these, in place of the vegetable shortening, adds extra richness to the crust. Filling note: If you want to use Jamaican curry powder instead of turmeric in the filling, here's the recipe provided in the book: 5 parts ground turmeric 4 parts coriander seeds 3 parts cayenne 3 parts fenugreek seeds 2 parts cumin seeds 2 parts whole black pepper 2 parts star anise or aniseed 2 parts yellow mustard seeds 1 part whole cloves 1 part ground ginger 1 part grated nutmeg 1 part whole allspice Combine all ingredients (mix & grind in mortar or coffee grinder). Store in a tightly sealed jar away from light & heat. Yields as much as you desire. Source: Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork & Spoon - A Righteous Guide to Jamaican Cookery Author(s): Robb Walsh & Jay McCarthy Posted to Home Hearth Food Digest V1 #022 by Holly Butman <butma001@acpub.duke.edu> on May 20, 1997 MMMMM Cheers, YK Jim ... Caribou Chili Pizza Beta Tester