41
FOOD
Beef Patties, makes 6
There are so many variations of the patty - chicken, salt
fish, vegetable, and so on - but nothing comes close to
the beef patty. The juices, textures and flavours are just
correct. People add cheese to their beef patties but I just
think that's criminal - the beef patty in all its simpleness
is excellent as it is. It is a very filling dish, so best had as a
snack between mealtimes.
FOR THE PATTY PASTRY
• 340g (11¾oz/2½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus
extra for dusting
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 225g (8oz/1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 125ml (4½fl oz/½ cup) ice-cold water
FOR THE BEEF FILLING
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 red (bell) peppers, deseeded and finely diced
• 1 spring onion (scallion), chopped
• 450g (1lb) minced (ground) beef
• 1 tsp Betapac curry powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tbsp paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tbsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 125ml (4½fl oz/½ cup) beef stock
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
For the pastry, put the flour, salt, turmeric and butter in
a blender. Blitz to make a dough, adding enough of the
water just until your pastry combines into a ball. Knead
it briefly, then cover and store in the fridge until needed.
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and
line a baking tray with baking parchment.
To make the filling, heat the vegetable oil in a large
frying pan over a medium-high heat and sauté the onion
and garlic until soft. Add the (bell) peppers, spring onion
and beef mince and cook until the beef is browned. Stir
in the Betapac curry powder, turmeric, paprika, cayenne
pepper, chilli powder, salt, and black pepper. Pour in the
beef stock, add the thyme and simmer until the mixture
thickens, around 2 minutes.
Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Use
a 8cm (3in) round cutter to stamp out 6 circles and fill
with the beef mixture. Fold over and seal in half moon
shapes, crimping the edges with the tines of a fork to
create patties.
Place the patties on the prepared tray and bake in a
preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.