Jamaican Meat Patties Recipe

For Filling:
Heat a large frying pan. Add the oil, garlic, jalepeno, onions and scallions and saute for a few minutes. Add the ground beef and cook over medium heat until crumbly. Stir in the thyme, curry powder, paprika, and bread crumbs. Stir in the water and cook over low heat until the water is absorbed. Add the salt and pepper. Allow to cool.

For the Dough:
In a large bowl, stir the flour, curry powder and salt together. Cut in the margarine and Crisco, using a pastry blender. Keep working the flour and shortenings until the mixture is rather grainy, like coarse cornmeal. Mix the egg and vinegar together and using a wooden fork, stir the mixture into the flour. Add enough ice water so that the dough barely holds together. Place on a marble pastry slab or a plastic countertop and knead for just a few turns, enough so the dough holds together and becomes rollable. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated as you work.

Roll out a golf-ball-size piece of dough to at least 6 inches. Use a 6-inch plate as a template to cut out a circle. Put 3 tablespoons of the cooled filling in the middle of the dough. Fold the circle over to form a half moon. Seal the pie by pushing down with a fork to crimp the edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. A nonstick baking sheet is best. Makes 12 patties.