Mini Cheese Stuffed Jamaican Patties

Ramadan is around the corner - have you prepped your iftar snacks yet? Aunties will probably yell at me for not making samosas, but I’d rather eat a Jamaican patty hands downnn. Mini Cheese Stuffed Jamaican Patties. Make and stuff these ahead of time and freeze them, then take them out and bake them when you're ready to eat. I know you can easily buy frozen Jamaican patties BUT a huge advantage of making them yourself? You can stuff them with cheese.

Ingredients

Makes 18-20 mini patties

For the Crust

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tbs turmeric powder

• 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening

• 1/3 cup cold butter

• 3/4 cup - 1 cup ice cold water

For the Filling

• 2 tbs olive oil

• 1 small white onion, finely minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 green onion stalks (about 1 tbs), finely minced

• 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded, minced (use half for less heat)

• 1 tsp fresh thyme

• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

• 600 g (1.3 lb) ground beef

• 1/2 a beef bouillon cube (1/2 tsp)

• 1/2 tsp allspice

• 1/4 tsp West Indian curry powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 1/4 cup water

• 1 scant cup breadcrumbs

• 1-2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

• 2 tbs chives, minced
  

Directions

1. Prepare the crust. In a kitchen mixer using the dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, sugar, and turmeric powder. Turn on low to mix. Turn the speed up to medium (speed 4) and add in the shortening and butter in small pieces. Slowly add in 3/4 cup of water in small increments until a dough forms. If the dough is still very crumbly, add a bit more water (up to one cup). To do this step by hand, use a pastry cutter or potato masher to cut the shortening and butter into the flour mixture, then stream the water in and mix by hand.

2. Once the dough has formed a shaggy ball, dump it out on the counter and knead it to form a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. While the dough is chilling, make the filling.

3. In a saucepan over medium low heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, green onion stalks, habanero/scotch bonnet and thyme. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the beef, bouillon cube, salt, pepper, allspice and West Indian curry powder. Pour the water over top the beef so that it is submerged. Simmer the beef for 20-25 minutes, until almost all of the water has evaporated. You still want some water in the meat.

4. Once almost all the water has evaporated, add the breadcrumbs to the meat and stir well. The breadcrumbs will absorb the remaining water and create a juicy texture. Remove from heat.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Mix the grated cheese and chives together. Set aside. Take the crust out of the fridge. Roll out the dough to about 4-5 mm thick. I like to divide the dough in half and work in sections. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out about 18-20 circles. To assemble the patties, divide the meat into 18-20 equal portions, depending on how many circles you cut out of the dough. Spread a portion of the meat over the base of the crust, leaving a border of about 1/2 an inch. Place some cheese on top. Fold into a half moon, pushing in any filling that tries to come out, and seal the edges with your fingers. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

6. Lay the patties on a parchment or foil lined baking tray. Use a fork to crimp the edges, and then to poke some holes on top of the patties. Bake for 22-28 (longer if you want a crispier crust) minutes. Serve immediately.

7. To freeze and store, once you have stuffed them, put them in a large freezer safe ziploc baggie, separated with parchment paper. Store in the freezer for 1 month. Bake from frozen the same as in step 6, but increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.