Caribbean: Aruba: Aruban Pastechi Karni (Meat Patties)
INGREDIENTS:
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH:
7 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter chopped
3 beaten egg
1 1/2 cups cold water
INGREDIENTS:
FILLINGS:
2 tablespoons oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
3 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 ½ lbs. ground turkey or beef
2/3 cup frozen carrots and peas defrosted
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Sambal Olek
2 chopped hard boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
To make the dough, combine flour and salt in a bowl. Use a whisk to combine and remove any flour lumps.
Add butter and using a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of small peas. Add egg and mix with a spoon.
Add water a little at a time, as needed, and mix. Start kneading by hand until the liquid forms into a ball of dough.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
To make filling, heat oil. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Saute until softened and onions are translucent.
Add meat and cook until meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Add carrots and peas along with capers and raisins. Cook for 3 minutes, until the vegetables are heated through.
Add ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and sambal. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes.
Add eggs and stir to combine.
Adjust salt and pepper as necessary.
Chill in the refrigerator.
Divide dough in half. Leave the other half refrigerated while you work with the first half.
On a lightly floured board, roll out dough as thin as possible without the dough breaking.
Using a 4 1/2? cookie/biscuit cutter, cut out circles.
Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling for each circle.
Brush the perimeter with milk.
Fold over and seal, using the tines of a fork.
Place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Heat enough oil for deep frying. Fry until golden brown on all sides.
Alternately, you can bake them. Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place prepared pastechi on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Brush the tops with milk and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve with ketchup, mustard and chili paste.
NOTES:
Any kind of leftover cooked meat can be used as well. Often it is made with leftover roast chicken or pork.
