Jamaican Beef Patties

Jamaican Beef Patties

Makes about 24 to 30 pastries

(Jamaica)

                                                                               Preparation time:  20 minutes

                                                                               Cook time:           30 minutes

                                                                               Total time:            50 minutes

Ingredients

dough (or use 2 packages of commercial 9-inch pie crust):

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 dash salt

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup shortening

1/3 cup water

flling:

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1 ½ cups ¼-inch diced potatoes

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten with ¼ teaspoon curry powder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

cook the filling:

Par boil the diced potatoes in sufficient salted water to cover the potatoes completely.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the onions and diced potatoes and sauté them until the onions are soft and translucent.  Stir in the ground beef, the  curry powder, the thyme,   salt,  black pepper, and the cayenne. Cook until beef is evenly brown, stirring constantly. Stir in beef broth and bread crumbs. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

mix the dough and form:

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, and pinch of salt.  Into those ingredients, cut in the 1/4 cup of margarine and shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb.   Stir in the water until mixture comes together and forms a ball.  Shape the dough ball into a 10-inch log, and cut into 10 equal sections. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.

                                                                       Or

One at a time, roll out each of the pie crust to about 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut the rolled out dough into as many 4 1/4-inch circles as you can, reserve the dough scraps.  Continue until all 4 9-inch crusts have been rolled out an cut into 4 ¼ -inch circles.  Gather up the dough scraps, combine them  and roll them out into a 1/8-inch sheet and cut out as many 4 ¼-inch circles as you can.  Set aside the circles of dough.

form the pastries:

Working with one of the circles of dough at a time, spoon about one tablespoon of filling into the center of the pastry circle. Fold over and press edges together, making a half circle. Using  a fork  press the edges together to seal.  Place the pastry half circle on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Continue until all the filling and pastry circles are use up.  Brush the top of each patty with the beaten egg/curry mixture.

bake the pastries:

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

service:

Serve as an accompaniment to your favourite meal or as an hors d'ouvres accompanied by mango chutney or your favourite dipping sauce.

Crispy Pork Chops in Curry Sauce

Crispy Pork Chops in Curry Sauce

serves 4

(Taiwan)

The first time we tasted this meal was on our trip to Taiwan to meet our daughter-in-laws family.  Unlike American pork chops, these delicious breaded and fried scallopini are fragrant with the subtle taste of Chinese five spice supported by the taste of the Char Siu Sauce they are marinated in, the longer they are marinated the more fragrant they become.   When we visit our son and Taiwanese daughter-in-law in Southern California, this is one of the Asian specialties we look forward to.

                                                       Preparation time:  up to 2 hours

                                                       Chop cooking time:  up to 20 minutes

                                                       Golden Curry Sauce cook time:  15 minutes

                                                        Total cook time:  35 minutes

Ingredients

Taiwanese crispy pork chops:

4  –  ¾ inch, boneless pork chops

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Taiwanese michiu wine (substitute Japanese Mirin)*

1/8 teaspoon  white pepper

1/8 teaspoon  five-spice powder*

1 teaspoon Char Siu Sauce* (Chinese barbecue sauce [DO NOT substitute American Barbecue sauce])

3-4 cloves garlic, micro-planed

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup sweet potato flour* (acceptable substitutes are tapioca  or corn starch)

Peanut or vegetable oil sufficient for frying

golden curry sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

¼ to ½ cup chopped onion

¼ to ½ cup sliced carrots

1 2/3 cups water

1 3.5 ounce golden curry sauce mix (I recommend S&B brand medium hot)*

Preparation

Taiwanese crispy pork chops:

1.  One at a time, place each pork  chop in a large, re-sealable plastic bag and pound  the chop into a thin (1/2 to ¼ - inch thick) scallopini and set aside in the refrigerator. 

2.  When all the pork chops have been pounded, create a marinade by combining the soy sauce, the michiu wine, the white pepper, the five-spice, the barbeque sauce, and the micro-planed in a small mixing bowl.  Once the marinade has been created, pour it into a large, re-sealable plastic bag.  Place the pork chops into the bag and seal, squeezing out as much air as possible.  Allow the pork chops to marinate for several hours, turning the bag every so often, to allow all the flavours to develop.

3.  When the pork chops have marinated for several hours, build a breading station by placing the sweet potato starch, the beaten egg, and the Panko bread crumbs in three separate plates.  Bread each of the pounded pork chops  by first dredging each in the sweet potato flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the Panko bread crumbs

4.  Once each of the pork chops have been breaded on both sides  heat enough vegetable oil to fill  a large, heavy bottomed frying pan to a depth of about 1/2 inch over medium high heat and fry the pork chops, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.

golden curry sauce:

1.  Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan.  Add the chopped onions and sliced carrots and saute until the onions are slightly browned and the carrots are softened,  about 5 minutes.

2.  Add water and bring to a boil, as soon as the water comes to a rolling boil remove the pan from the heat.  Break up the golden curry mix into pieces and add to the water, carrots, and water stirring until all the pieces of curry mix are dissolved.   If the sauce seems too "tight" add a little water, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce "loosens up" to your satisfaction.

 service:

Serve by plating cooked, plain white rice on each of 4 service plates, place one Taiwanese crispy pork chop on top of that on each plate, and top each plate with ¼ of the golden curry sauce.  Serve hot.

* easily found on the Asian or Oriental products aisle in most supermarkets

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

serves 4

(America)

Neat little chicken salad sandwiches, along with radish and water crest sandwiches,  are traditionally one of the "ladies club bridge" or "high tea" staples.  This recipe adds a definitely Middle Eastern taste to the humble chicken salad finger sandwich  with the addition of curry powder to the recipe and a neat twist by dropping the bread  and wrapping the curry dressed chicken nuggets in pieces of Hearts of Romaine.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 cup roasted cashews, roughly  chopped

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

2 heads of  hearts of Romaine lettuce, separated

Preparation

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.  Spread the shredded coconut on a cookie sheet, place in the oven and toast for  about 8 minutes until most of the shredded coconut is nicely browned.

3.  In a 3-quart over medium heat bring the chicken  stock to a simmer.   Add the chicken and simmer, uncovered, for  25 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a clean work  surface and cool until the breasts can be handled comfortably.   Either shred the chicken or chop it into 1/2-inch pieces. Set the shredded or chopped chicken aside in medium bowl.

4.  In a separate, small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, salt, raisins, 1/3 cup chopped cashews, 1/3 cup of toasted coconut, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro.  Check seasoning and adjust to taste.  

5.  Combine the curry/yogurt sauce with the chopped/shredded chicken and thoroughly mix.  

6.  Transfer the curry chicken salad to a platter  over a bed of lettuce , garnish  with extra chopped cilantro and coconut. Serve accompanied by additional lettuce leaves, additional chopped cashews, roughly chopped cilantro, and toasted coconut.  To eat, place some of the chicken salad on a lettuce leaf, top with some chopped cilantro, chopped cashews, and toasted coconut fold and enjoy.