Easy vegan Jamaican "beef" patties
One of the things I miss about Jamaica is the patties that were omnipresent, cheap and so delicious. Here is a recipe for vegan beef patties, adapted from an old family local recipe (I am making these tonight):
* 0.5 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1 cup cold water
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 3 green onions, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped (can substitute jalapeno)
* 0.5 bag morningstar farms frozen ground "beef" crumbles (or another similar vegan ground "beef" product)
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 1 teaspoon curry powder (Jamaican if possible; the high quality McCormick -not that fluorescent yellow stuff- is fine)
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* a bag of frozen yellow empanada or patty shells (leave at room temperature for one hour; you can find them in several supermarkets in the frozen section where they have phyllo products)
1. Stir the bread crumbs and water together and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, green onions, garlic, and Scotch bonnet pepper until the vegetables are soft. Reduce heat to medium and add the "beef", thyme, curry powder, and black pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the filling does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the bread crumbs and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, turning the heat to low. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for half an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
4. Put 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each patty shell. Fold the shell in half to create a half-moon shape and with a fork press along the edges to seal. I filled 7 patties with that mix.
5. Grease a cookie sheet with canola oil spray and place the patties on the baking sheet (you can refrigerate for a few hours at this point if necessary; wrapped with plastic wrap). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
* 0.5 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1 cup cold water
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 3 green onions, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped (can substitute jalapeno)
* 0.5 bag morningstar farms frozen ground "beef" crumbles (or another similar vegan ground "beef" product)
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 1 teaspoon curry powder (Jamaican if possible; the high quality McCormick -not that fluorescent yellow stuff- is fine)
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* a bag of frozen yellow empanada or patty shells (leave at room temperature for one hour; you can find them in several supermarkets in the frozen section where they have phyllo products)
1. Stir the bread crumbs and water together and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, green onions, garlic, and Scotch bonnet pepper until the vegetables are soft. Reduce heat to medium and add the "beef", thyme, curry powder, and black pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the filling does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the bread crumbs and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, turning the heat to low. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for half an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
4. Put 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each patty shell. Fold the shell in half to create a half-moon shape and with a fork press along the edges to seal. I filled 7 patties with that mix.
5. Grease a cookie sheet with canola oil spray and place the patties on the baking sheet (you can refrigerate for a few hours at this point if necessary; wrapped with plastic wrap). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.