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Breadfruit is a Jamaican dish that is showcased with ackee and salt fish. The ackee is Jamaica’s national dish and very popular among the Jamaican culture.

Jamaican Turkey Meat Patties

Jamaican patty can be made with grounded chicken, grounded beef, grounded turkey or vegetable fillings seasoned with spices and is baked inside a flaky shell. Our patties are made like a turnover, but is more savory. Patty is Jamaicans fast food for lunch. It is usually found in other countries because of migration. Jamaicans likes to eat their patties with coco-bread. Patties usually comes in hot, medium and mild flavor. Very easy to make, try it !

Recipe:

Make about 14-15 Patties

Pastry:

1 lb flour = (3 1/2 cups baking flour or 4 cups all purpose flour ) depends on flour used

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening or 1 cup butter

3/4 cup to 1 cup ice water

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

Filling:

1 lb ground beef (thawed out overnight in refrigerator). Chicken, turkey , beef or vegetables can also be used

2 stalks escallion (finely chopped)

2 tsp sugar

1 cups bread crumbs

1 tsps dried thyme

3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) or 1 tsp garlic powder

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp all purpose season or 1/2 tsp salt (not both)

1 tsp hot or medium Jamaican jerk paste seasoning (can also use 1/4 to 1/2 cayenne pepper chopped)

butter or oil for glazing

Pastry Making

(1) Sift flour, salt and baking powder (in a fine-mesh sieve). If you have no sieve, you can do without, but sifting make the flour lighter

(2) Mix in vegetable shortening or butter

(3) Add turmeric and ice water and hand mix in until ingredients is bound together in a firm dough, not sticky.

(3) Cover container with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes until ready to use

Filling:

(4) Take thawed out ground beef or (whatever meat used, must be grounded)

(5) Combine all ingredients except butter for glazing

(6) Properly mixed into meat

(7) Heat pot to medium hot and put meat in, use a fork to crush meat util there is no lump, meat should be finely separated

(8) Cook until soft for about 30 minutes on low heat (meat should not be dried out, add a little water if necessary)

(9) Add bread crumbs and mix in, make sure there is enough gravy to keep filling moist.

(10) Preheat oven to 350 degree

(11) Lightly sprinkle some flour on a clean board or countertop

(12) Remove flour dough from fridge, spread on board or countertop and roll out flat

(13) Make sure flour paste is smooth and flat without any cracks and about 1/4 inch thick

(14) Use a circular dish like a saucer of anything round that measures about 13 inches in diameter

((15) Each time you cut out pieces, set aside and combine all the wasted pieces and roll again until there is almost nothing of the dough left

(16) Take 2 tbsp of the ground cooked meat and put in the center of the round pieces of dough

(17) Fold each one over, until all the edges are together, then use a fork and press around the edge

(20) Glazed the patties with with some oil or butter and stick in the oven for about 35-45 minutes or until golden yellow

Please Note: Patties should be served hot. You can also use this recipe to make mini patties or cocktail patties for a party. Just make the portions much smaller.

Salt fish has many names such as cod fish, baccala, dried fish, bacalhau or bacalao. I remember at one time growing up, salt fish was very cheap, now it has got to be very expensive for the local people so this may be a dish some people makes occasionally. Salt fish fritters is one of Jamaicans breakfast dishes, it can also be use at cocktail parties as d’oeuvre. It’s not eaten with any other form of meat or fish because is already made with fish. Usually this dish is eaten by itself or with bread and a cup of tea or coffee. I would classify fritters as a pastry dish as it is made with flour and fried.

Recipe

Serve about 8-10 depends on size

1/2 lb salt fish

2 cups flour

1 onion (finely chopped)

2 tomatoes finely chopped (plum tomatoes)

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 starks scallion finely chopped

2 tsps baking powder

water for mixing flour

1/4 – 1/2 cup oil for frying (enough for about 1/2 inch deep in pot).

Preparation:

(1) Wash some of the salt of the sailfish

(2) Soak overnight in refregerator

(3) Drain off water and debone the salt fish making sure all the bones are out

(4) Pick the salt fish apart into small pieces or flake it

(5) Combine all ingredient in a bowl except the oil for frying. Add enough water to make a medium mixture (batter) (not too thin or too thick)

(6)Heat pot with oil to medium hot

(7) Spoon mixture and gradually drop in pot like picture above (2-3 tablespoons per fritters)

(8) Fry on both sides until golden brown

(9) Remove each fried fritters and drain on paper towel or absorbent paper

(10) Serve fritters when warm

Please note: When making the mixture, if you pour a little too much water in, you can add an extra 1-2 tablespoon flour to thicken.

Children in Jamaica loves this snack. Usually you will find this snack at many schools gates, where people are selling to children as they get their break or recess. People will also make it in their homes so that children can eat as a snack. It’s very sugary so having too much is not a great idea.

Recipe

2 cups diced coconut

1 tsp powder ginger or grated ginger (peel back of ginger and grate)

1 tsp vanilla

1+1/2 cups brown sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 cup water

1/2 tsp browning (optional)

Preparation

(1) Combine all ingredients with water in a pot and boil, mixing ocassionally

(1) Boil until mixture becomes dark and sticky for about 20-30 minutes (don’t let it burn)

(3) Grease a baking sheet or wide dish

(4) Drop spoonfuls 2-3 in greased container depends how big you want your drops

(5) Let it cool and your drops is ready.

Yields about 12

Crater Cake a very sweet pastry, but very delicious. Don’t eat too much though. You can make this pastry plain or with a colored decoration at the top like the picture below or you can add a cherry at the top of each one. You many find this delicious pastry in food shops or some restaurant along with other Jamaican pastries.

Recipe

Make about 10-12

2 cups of dry grated coconut (peel the back of the coconut off)

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp of almond extract

pinch of salt

Preparation

• (1) Combine all ingredient in a thick bottom pot and put on medium low heat
• (2) Boil until coconut is cooked and most of the water is dried out
• (3) Keep turning coconut until the texture is sticky (do not let it burn)
• (4) Remove mixture from heat and keep mixing for about 2 minutes
• (5) Pour mixture in a greased square dish about 8×8″, press down with the back of a spoon
• (6) When it’s cool and and almost set cut with a knife in different shapes like above. Let it sits and harden.
• Optional: You can take out some of the mixture, add a tip of food coloring to that mixture and drop on top of the ones you cut,
• made sure it’s not harden, if it is a little hard, you can rest it on the fire and soften it up with a teaspoon of water. You can also add a cherry on top.