Jamaican Meat Patties

Put all the above in a large enough bowl to mix and add approximately a third of the water or enough to make a soft dough. Knead gently and set aside in a cool place. 1kg (2 pounds) of ground beef 2 cups breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon of very finely chopped hot red pepper 1 medium onion, fine diced 2 cloves of crushed garlic a few leaves of fresh thyme salt to taste 250ml (8fl.oz) of hot water Fry the beef in a pan very gently, letting the fat run off and which you should then strain. Add the other ingredients and the boiling water. Cook for another 15 minutes . (The authour would mince or blend the ingredients with the water and mix the paste into the ground beef and cook it for the same length of time.) Taste to adjust your seasonings, then roll out the pastry very thin to 1/2cm(1/8inch) . Cut in small rounds and put some filling on one half of the pastry. Fold and press edges with a fork to seal. Brush with a little oil, which the Jamaicans sometime colour reddish with annotto, and bake for approximately 25 minutes at 180deg C (350degF, Gas mark 4).