Cooking & Baking

justaprogressive

(4,730 posts) Mon Jul 21, 2025, 12:10 PM Yesterday

Hot From Jamaica Mon! Beef Patties & Akkra 🌞

Jamaican Patties (Jamaica)

Patties are a Jamaican version of fast food.This inexpensive treat is sold at patty shops all over

1 green onion, finely chopped
2 small chili peppers, seeded and diced
1 lb. ground beef*
1 to 2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 loaf French bread
1/2 tsp. paprika

Place green onion and chili peppers
in a small bowl and grind together
with the back of a spoon.
In a medium bowl, combine onion
mixture and ground beef, salt, black
pepper, and tsp. thyme. Mix well
with hands.

In a large frying pan, break up meat
mixture with a fork and cook over
medium-low heat until meat is
barely browned. Remove pan from
heat and drain off fat.

Place bread in a medium saucepan
and cover with cold water. Let soak
for 5 minutes, then squeeze out and
save water. Place bread in a medium
bowl and grind with the back of a
Return bread to soaking water. Add
remaining thyme and stir. Cook over
medium heat until no liquid
remains.

Add bread and paprika to meat
mixture and mix well. Cook over
low heat for 20 minutes. Remove
from heat and set aside to cool.

Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour

*While beef is the most common filling,
these patties can also be filled with chicken,
shrimp, or vegetables such as potatoes,
spinach, yams, or eggplant.

Pastry for Patties:

1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. ice water

1. In a medium bowl, combine salt,
curry powder, and 2 c. flour. Rub
butter or margarine into flour
mixture with hands. Add ice water a
little at a time, kneading after each
addition, until dough is smooth and
not sticky.

2. Form dough into a ball and pat with
rolling pin, turning once or twice to
make it hold together. If it cracks or
falls apart, knead in more water.
Wrap in aluminum foil and place in
freezer for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 425°F.

4. Put remaining 1/4c. flour in a
shallow dish. Remove dough from
freezer and form a 2-inch piece
of dough into a ball and roll in flour.
With a rolling pin, roll dough into
a 6-inch circle about ∏ -inch thick.

5. Place a heaping tbsp. of meat
mixture in center of circle. Fold
dough over meat to form a half
circle and press outside edge with a
fork to seal. Repeat with remaining
dough and meat mixture.

6. Place patties on ungreased baking
sheet and bake for 35 minutes, or
until golden brown. Serve hot.

from "Cooking the Caribbean Way"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9582325

Preparation time: 1 hour (plus 1 hour freezing time)
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes 15 to 16 patties

********************************************************************************

Akkra (Jamaica)
Bean Fritters

Lots of chili peppers give this simple dish quite a kick!

2 c. dried black-eyed peas
6 chili peppers*
1/3 c. water
vegetable oil for frying

Place peas in a large saucepan and
cover with water. Let soak overnight.

Rub peas together between your
palms to remove and discard skins
(it may help to rinse peas off).

Place peas in a blender, 1 c. at a
time, and blend about 20 seconds
until smooth. Remove ground peas
from blender, place in a large bowl,
and repeat with remaining peas

Cut chili peppers in half. Remove
and discard stems and seeds. Place
peppers in blender and blend about
20 seconds.

Add ground chili peppers to peas
and stir. If mixture is dry, stir in
water, little by little, until pasty. Beat
with a spoon until light and fluffy.

Pour 1 inch of oil into a large frying
pan and heat for 4 or 5 minutes
over medium-high heat. Carefully
drop rounded tbsp. of pea mixture
into oil and fry 2 to 3 minutes per
side, or until golden brown. Remove
from oil with slotted spoon and
drain on paper towels.

*Hot peppers range in spiciness, from
poblano cascabel peppers, near
the bottom of the scale, to habanero
and Scotch bonnet peppers at the very
top.**** Scotch bonnets, native to Jamaica, are
one of the most popular Caribbean
peppers. But if you re new to spicy food,
you probably want to start with much
cooler varieties. Jalapenos are moderately
hot peppers and are readily available
at most supermarkets.

*** Not anymore they're not!