Jamaican Beef-ish Patties

We made these and brought them to a party - we had them in a tinfoil pan and heated them up on the grill - they were a big hit.  Depending on your preference you could make them more or less spicy, adding more or less of the habenero pepper.

Pastry:
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water
 
Filling:

2 tablespoon oil

1 Small white onion, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon Chopped Habanero pepper

1 1/2 cups Textured Vegetable Protein (we used beef-ish bits from Harmony House Foods) Boiling Water - enough to cover TVP to rehydrate

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Curry powder

1/2 teaspoon Dried thyme

1/4 cup Breadcrumbs

1/4 cup vegetable stock

For the Pastry:

Combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour with the turmeric and sea salt in a large bowl and mix well.  Set aside the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.  Add the coconut oil to the flour mixture and mix until it resembles fine sand.  You can use your hands to mix this, a food processor or a stand mixer also works well.

Combine the vinegar and water.  Add the vinegar mixture by the tablespoon, while stirring until the dough just comes away from the sides of the bowl.  flatten the dough and cover in wax paper and refrigerate for about an hour.

 

For the Filling:

Add boiling water to the TVP and allow to re-hydrate.  In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and sauté the onion and pepper until they become limp. Add the TVP, salt, pepper, curry powder and thyme and mix well. Simmer the TVP mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all the ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When all the liquids have been absorbed, the filling is ready. It should be moist but not watery. Remove the skillet from the stove and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

With the reserved flour dust a clean surface and roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 6-inch circles.  We used a bowl which had a 6-inch diameter at the top to cut the circles.  Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling onto the center of one side of each circle leaving about 1/8 inch boarder.  Dip you fingers in water and run water around the edges of the circle.  Fold over, press to seal and make ridges around the edge with a fork.  

Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake about 35 minutes until golden brown.  Serve immediately.