Jamaican Patty Recipe: Flaky Pastry with Savoury Filling

A Jamaican patty is a popular street food from Jamaica. It features a flaky pastry shell filled with various ingredients and spices. Traditionally, the filling includes ground beef, mutton, or goat. Other options are chicken, vegetables, fish, and cheese. These patties are also available in Great Britain and North America, especially Canada. They are often pre-made and frozen for convenience.

Filling

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 bundles fresh thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ loaf of French bread (e.g., baguette)
• ½ tsp Island Spice Scotch Bonnet Soya Sauce
• 2 oz scallion or spring onion
• 1 tsp salt

Pastry

• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup lard
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (or ½ tsp Jamaican Curry Powder and ½ tsp annatto for colouring)
• Beef filling for patties
• ½ cup milk

Filling

1. Grind scallion and Island Spice Scotch Bonnet Pepper Soya sauce together. Add to ground beef with salt and thyme.
2. Cook the beef mixture.
3. While cooking, soak bread in cold water in a saucepan. Squeeze dry, saving the water.
4. Mince the bread and return it to the water with thyme. Cook until dry.
5. Combine the cooked meat and bread. Add paprika and cook for another 20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Pastry

1. Sift flour, turmeric, curry powder, and salt. Knead in lard.
2. Add water to form a firm dough. Knead for two minutes.
3. Roll pastry to an eighth-inch thickness.
4. Cut out six-inch diameter rounds.
5. Divide beef filling among patties. Brush edges with water.
6. Fold dough over filling and seal. Brush with milk.
7. Bake on the top shelf of an oven at 450°F for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

Nutritional Values