Time To Eat Beef Patties and Coco Bread Mon!

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I absolutely love beef patties and coco bread. When I’m in JA, I have to go to Juici Patties at least once and get me a beef and cheese patty and a pineapple soda. From time to time I will get a chicken patty but it just doesn’t have that same spiciness and flavor of the beef ones. Here in Texas you can get them at most Caribbean restaurants but I often find them to be old or over warmed from being under heat lamps all day. Good Jamaican food is hard to find abroad let me tell you.

Once I went to a local Jamaican restaurant here in Dallas and ordered curry chicken which is one of my favorites. After waiting almost 45 minutes the waiter comes to our table and presents me with a plate of two whole drumsticks and a thigh coated in some variation of curry. My husband and I started cracking up and shaking our heads all at the same time. Now, I cook Jamaican food on the regular at home and in all my life and travels I have never seen anyone serve curry chicken as whole pieces. Now, I’m not saying that some people don’t use this method, but I’m sorry I can’t co-sign on it. The meat needs that curry flavor all up in it not on it! Besides, I probably could have overlooked the whole pieces if it had at least been good, needless to say we haven’t been back nor have we recommended that restaurant to anyone else! LOL!

Courtesy of Time To Eat Mon, here are the recipes for beef patties and cocoa bread. I’m not yet brave enough to try to make these at home, actually I’m just too lazy but I hope you enjoy them and make sure you try the originals when you are in Jamaica.

Beef Patties

For the pastry:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried turmeric or annatto
2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups chopped)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 pound ground beef
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric or annatto
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and finely chopped, optional
2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup water or beef stock
3 tablespoons Jamaican rum

To assemble the patties:
Flour for rolling out the dough
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 teaspoon of rum

For the pastry: Sift the flour, turmeric, and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingers, two knives, or a pastry blender, cut in the shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Working quickly, add only enough water to form a firm dough. Do not overwork pastry. Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours or overnight.

In a large skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground beef, turmeric, cumin, allspice, cardamom, hot peppers, and thyme and cook until the beef is browned and spices are fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the scallions, parsley, tomatoes, and stock and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the flavors have come together and almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Set aside to cool before assembling the patties.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry and cut into circles about 6 to 7 inches in diameter. Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of the cooled filling onto the center of one side of each circle, and lightly brush the edges of the circle with a little of the beaten egg yolk mixture. Fold the other half of the pastry over so that the edges meet, and use a fork to crimp the edges together. Lightly brush the top of each patty with a little of the beaten egg yolk mixture. Place the patties on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Coco Bread

Ingredients

2 packets of yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 fl oz of warm water
1.5 teaspoon salt
6 fl oz warm milk
1 lightly beaten egg
3 cups white flour
4 oz melted butter

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water, then add in the milk, salt and egg while stirring.
2. Pour half of the flour and stir. Then slowly add flour to the mixture until it becomes stiff. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth. In a clean bowl, add oil and roll the dough in it until coated.
3. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise for 1 hour. Cut the dough into 10 pieces and roll each piece out. Brush each rolled piece of dough with melted butter and fold it in half. Brush dough with more butter on and fold it again.
4. Place the folded dough pieces on a well-greased cookie sheet and pre heat the oven to 425 degrees and place a pan filled with water on the bottom rack.
5. Bake the coco bread for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Technorati Tags: beef patties, coco bread, Food, jamaica, Time To Eat Mon

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