Spanish Town Jamaican Beef Patty

Ingredients

• •Ground beef
• •Scotch bonnet pepper
• •Onion
• •Turmeric
• •Curry powder
• •Flour
• •Butter
• •Breadcrumbs

Steps

1. 1Make the distinctive golden pastry first by rubbing cold butter or shortening into flour along with turmeric and a pinch of curry powder, which gives the dough its signature yellow color, then bind it with ice water into a firm dough and chill it.
2. 2For the filling, cook finely diced onion, garlic, and scallion in a hot pan until softened, then add ground beef and brown it thoroughly, breaking up any clumps.
3. 3Season the beef generously with curry powder, thyme, and a small amount of finely minced scotch bonnet pepper, adjusting the heat level to taste since the pepper is intensely spicy.
4. 4Add a splash of water and let the filling simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off, then stir in breadcrumbs to bind the mixture into a moist but scoopable filling, and let it cool completely.
5. 5Roll out the chilled pastry and cut it into circles, then place a spoonful of the cooled beef filling onto one half of each circle.
6. 6Fold the pastry over into a half-moon shape and crimp the edges firmly with a fork to seal in the filling completely.
7. 7Arrange the patties on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven until the pastry turns a deep golden yellow and becomes flaky and crisp.
8. 8Serve the patties hot, ideally fresh from the oven, as a handheld snack or light meal on their own.