Beryl's Jamaican Beef Patties

Who better to taste test my Jamaican beef patties than my very good friends, Beryl and Eric.  Beryl is born and bred in Jamaica and, along with Eric, a long time resident of the Okanagan.  "Well", she says, "they're almost there.  Good but not quite Jamaican."  Ever helpful, she provided her own recipe for my next attempt.     It was a hit!

To make 12-14 patties.

Ingredients
Pastry
8     cups all-purpose flour
5     tsp turmeric
2     tsp salt
2     cups shortening

Filling
4     tbsp oil
2     onions, minced
4     scallions, trimmed and minced
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 fresh chilies, seeded and minced
1.5 lbs ground beef
1    28-oz can whole tomatoes, crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground fenugreed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
salt and pepper to taste
3   eggs, beaten with 2 tbsp of water added

For the pastry:  Sift the flour, turmeric and salt into a bowl.  Cut in the shortening and rub in until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add 1/2 cup of ice water (you may need more) to knead to form a firm dough.  Add a little more water if your dough is too dry.  Cover the dough and refrigerate for two hours or longer.

For the filling:  Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onions and sauté over medium heat for five minutes, until soft and beginning to colour.  Stir in the scallions, garlic and chilies and cook three minutes.

Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently, for ten minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour in 1/2 cup of water, reduce the heat to low and simmer approximately one hour, stirring frequently.  The liquid should be almost all evaporated.  Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out the pastry dough and cut into 7" rounds- I used a bowl.  Put about two tablespoons of filling on each pastry round, the fold over to form a crescent.  Crimp the edges with a fork to seal them.  Arrange on an ungreased baking pan.  Brush the tops with the beaten egg mixture.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

WANNA PLAY?
I make a big batch and freeze my patties uncooked.

I will be playing with this recipe: considering a chicken version, maybe a lentil version for my vegetarian side, thinking also maybe potatoes- kind of like samosa "ish".  Other ideas?