Simple Beef Patties
I’m the first to admit I’m a meat mout’ and there’s nothing like biting a nice juicy burger, or beef patties which is a norm in the Caribbean. Meat patties…that flaky crust that makes you oblivious to the crumbs around your mouth while in public; the well balanced spicy filling (whether it be chicken, beef or seafood) that is warm enough to tantalize your taste buds any time of the day but then also compact enough to walk with it anywhere.
I should write a love poem while I’m at it, but you catch my drift.
Beef patties in particular have captured my heart after spending three years in Jamaica studying. With stalls all around campus offering up warmed patties with cheese, and a company offering them up also with tomatoes and lettuce on the inside called a “Mega”, I’ve become further patty obsessed.
Sure, patties are different on every island but I especially love the ones that have a kick to them, and make you exclaim to anyone who may be with you “it making my nose run”.
Since being back with no easy convenience of the stalls I came to love, I’ve become close to a fiend wondering where my next patty fix will come from – and unfortunately I don’t have much options close by. The frozen generic brands are not really an option and usually expensive, so I decided to bite the bullet and go back to my Food and Nutrition days at school to make them at home to last a week.
The week idea turned out to be a theory, and by the next day, my mom and I had demolished all — definitely bittersweet :(.
This recipe calls for both butter/margarine and shortening. The butter gives the flavour and texture for the crust, while shortening which dissolves at a higher temperature, ensures a flaky crust. Vinegar is added because it was once taught to make the gluten stretchable; though there is no proof of this, I still use it (just in case).
I generally don’t add breadcrumbs to my beef filling, however bread crumbs do absorb the extra moisture from the filling mixture and also allows you to stretch your filling.
For the pastry: This can be accomplished using a pastry blender or a food processor. Patties are very freezer friendly, so if this isn’t your first time making these patties and you’re now comfortable with your technique, double the recipe and place the leftovers in a sealed plastic bag. To reheat, place in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes or until the middle of the patties are hot to touch.
Ingredients
Instructions
Mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt, turmeric, and curry powder until well incorporated.
Take the cold butter and shortening and chop it into pieces and add it to the mixture.
Using a pastry blender, or your hands, mix the dry ingredients with the butter and shortening until they resemble course bread crumbs. NB: It is okay if the butter and shortening aren’t fully broken down into the mixture, this will help give it a flaky texture during baking.
Add the vinegar if you choose to do so.
Add the water, a little at a time and mix until the dough holds together and feels like play doh. It will be soft and sticky.
Place the dough in cling wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the Beef Filling: Heat a non stick pan on the stove and add the minced beef.
When the beef begins to cook, add garlic, onion, scotch bonnet pepper and sweet pepper.
When the vegetables begin to “sweat”, add the seasonings plus salt and pepper to taste.
Gradually add the tomato paste and breadcrumbs. Stir occasionally.
Turn off stove, and set aside beef filling.
To Assemble: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Take the chilled pastry dough and cut into 8 – 10 pieces.
Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut the dough in circles for your desired size using a bowl, dumpling press or cookie cutters. *I prefer mini ones so no one judges me for eating a lot).
Once you’ve cut your dough, stack them individually using wax paper sheets to separate them and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
When it’s time, take your dough out and scoop some of the mixture onto one side of the pastry (be careful not to be too heavy handed for the dough size that you’ve chosen) and fold the other half to cover it completely.
*If you are using a dumpling press, place the filling in the middle of the pastry before you close and seal.
If you are doing it manually, take your fork or fingers and press your folded pastry closed.
Transfer all of the unbaked patties to the baking sheet(s) lined with parchment paper.
Place in the oven and bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until golden brown. You may also stick your patties in the center with a cake tester. If it comes out clean with no dough, it is ready.
Serve.Notes
