Jamaica day in the garden

Have you ever been to Jamaica? They have these little road side kiosks where they sale jerk chicken and these things called meat patties. They come in beef, chicken and fish.

They are very similar to the American hot pocket. Except the shell is more pastry shell than pie shell. So I decided to find a recipe book to make these.

Tasted, looked and acted nothing at all like the original meat patty we had in Jamaica. So I experimented and here is what I finally came up with.

Instead of ground beef I cook a pot roast in the slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours on low. I had chopped onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers and ground black pepper. And curry powder (to taste). Once done I shred the beef, leaving the onion, peppers and garlic mixed in and put aside.

I take pre-made pie shells and cut them into triangles (You have to play with it a bit).

Depending how big you make your triangles I scoop one to two tablespoon of meat into the center and fold and pinch to make a pocket. I roll the pocket in curry powder and put on a baking pan that has been either greased or spray with cooking oil.

I preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 20 minutes. And this also depends on your oven and altitude. We're in the rocky's so we're high and it does make a difference.

It took me a few tries to come up with this much easier recipe, than the one I found in Jamaica. Good luck!

Pairs very well with a lighter red, like a Zinfandel. Or if you use chicken instead of beef a sauvignon blanc would be nice.