Flowers awaiting to be planted in my garden

Hi my loves, it’s been a while.

Sometimes life gets in the way.

Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day.  Truthfully, I just needed to take a breather.  I found myself hitting a creative wall and thought a month off of blogging is probably needed.   And then Spring arrived and it brought a feeling of renewal.  So I’m back and with a recipe that accidentally came together.

I had a pound of ground lamb in my fridge that needed to be cooked.   I decided to try Lamb Patties.   I didn’t add the traditional Caribbean ingredients but decided to seasoning the lamb with allspice, coriander and rosemary.   The combination resulted in a delicate, aromatic savory pastry.  This one’s a keeper!    Here’s to feeling renewed and trying new things.

Lamb Patties

1 lb ground lamb

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp coriander

1/2 cup water

1 sprig rosemary, bruised with the back of a knife

2 scallion, finely chopped

1 egg yolk

1 tsp water

1 Pastry recipe, provided below

Add ground to a large bowl. Add allspice, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and black pepper. Mix together and set aside.  Add butter to hot pan, when melted,  add onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic continue to sauté for another minute.

Add lamb and rosemary,  breaking up any clumps and let cook until the meat is no longer pink.  Add tomatoes  and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cups of water and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and lamb is tender.  Add sliced scallion. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Pastry

adapted from Tastes Like Home

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 + 1/3 cups vegetable shortening

1 cup ice cold water (plus more on standby)

Add flour and salt to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Rub shortening into flour until they become small pieces completely coated with the flour.  Pour in 1/2 cup iced water and mix with your hands to bring the dough together. Keep adding iced water 2 – 3 tablespoons at a time until the mixture forms a dough. At this stage you can cut the dough into 2 large pieces, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour before using it. Or, cut the dough into 10 – 12 equal pieces, place on a platter or baking sheet, cover securely with plastic wrap and let chill for half an hour before using or while you make the filling.

To Assemble:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare egg wash but beating 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp water.  Set aside.

Flour the work surface and rolling pin. Divide dough in half.  Place one half back in the fridge while working with the other half.  Roll dough  into a very large circle. Take a bowl with a wide rim (about 5 inches) and cut out 5 circles.

Place about 2 heaped tablespoons of the filling onto one half of each circle;  Brush edge with egg wash.  Fold over  half  of circle over the filling. Use a fork, press down on the edge to seal.  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue to work until you have rolled all the dough and filled all the patties.  Brush tops of patties with egg wash.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.