Jamaican beef patties

Method

• step 1

  Put the flours, curry powder, turmeric and ½ tsp fine sea salt to a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and briefly pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Combine the yolk from one egg, reserving the white, with the vinegar and 100ml of ice-cold water. Slowly drizzle into the dry ingredients, pulsing until the mixture is just starting to come together and there are no more traces of flour. Tip onto your worksurface and quickly shape into a rough rectangle. Cover and transfer to the fridge for 1 hr.

• step 2

  Remove the pastry from the fridge and lightly flour your worksurface. Roll out the pastry, following the shape of the rectangle, until it’s 45cm in length and 15cm width. With the shortest end facing you, fold the top of the pastry towards the middle and bring the bottom of the pasty up to cover it, almost like folding a letter. Turn the folded edge to the left, cover lightly and transfer to the fridge for 45 mins. Repeat twice more and then leave in the fridge until the filling is done.

• step 3

  Start on the filling. Heat the oil in a wide, deep frying pan and over a medium heat. Once hot, add the mince and brown, breaking into little bits. Once nearly cooked through, about 5 mins, transfer the meat to a bowl, leaving any fat in the pan, and add the onions, scotch bonnet and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the spices and cook for a further min before adding the mince back into the pan and stirring through. Sprinkle over the flour and stir through until you can no longer see it, then add the stock, worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 25 mins until the beef is cooked through and the liquid has thickened and largely reduced. Leave to cool.

• step 4

  Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Make an egg wash by combining the remaining egg and egg white. Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Separate the dough into two, leaving one half in the fridge. Roll the dough out to 2mm thickness. Cut out 15cm circles and place 1-2 tablespoons of the meat filling onto half of each round of dough. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash and fold it over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Press the edge down with your fingers and further seal by pressing the tines of a fork around the edge. Transfer to a baking tray and put in the fridge. Collect the pastry scraps and put in the fridge, too. Repeat with the other pastry half. Bring together the leftover pastry, roll it out, and cut it into circles, filling and sealing with the remaining meat and egg wash. Transfer to the baking trays, filling any spaces – you should have 10 patties in total. A little pastry will be leftover which you can use for something else.

• step 5

  Brush all the patties with the remaining egg wash and use a fork to pierce holes into the top of each one. Transfer to the oven and bake until the dough is golden brown and cooked through, about 35 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.