Staying warm in the winter is always a challenge for me. I get cold very easily and I warm up very slowly. But I’m not willing to spend the money to crank the heat up to my comfort level of 75° during the long New England winter with an oil-fired furnace. Instead, I raise my body temperature with movement and spicy foods! I think everyone discovers that running around makes you warm when they are small children, but the link between body temperature and food took a bit longer for me to discover.

I became very interested in the connection between health and food in my early twenties. That was also the start of my healthy eating habits. When I began to research food’s link to health, I learned a lot about nutrition and the benefits of spices. Eating spicy foods increases your body’s temperature and gets your blood flowing and your heart pumping. That was great news in itself, but there are many more ways in which spicy foods help the body.

Spicy food helps to increase metabolic rate, which aids in weight loss. They lower bad cholesterol with their antioxidant properties. Spiciness stimulates stomach secretions, increasing blood flow to the stomach and aiding digestion. Capsaicin, the active compound in hot peppers, kills cancer cells. This compound also helps the body to dissolve blood clots and fight inflammation. Inflammation is a problem in respiratory illnesses and is a risk factor for heart disease. Capsaicin also increases the production of endorphins, the feel good chemicals in the brain. Frequent consumption of spicy meals improve sleep patterns. Turmeric speeds up wound healing and assists in skin repair. You’ll get plenty of tumeric & capsaicin in this recipe for spicy beef patties!

Jamaican Patties          Makes 8 5-inch patties

Dough
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup cold water

Filling
1 small onion, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced (include the seeds for more spice)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup water
salt to taste

Dough: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, turmeric and salt. Cut the cold butter into tablespoon sized pieces and drop it into the flour.

The tumeric gives the dough a bright yellow color.

Using an electric mixer, mix the butter into the flour until it resembles pea sized pieces. Mix in the cold water until a very shaggy dough forms. Dump the dough onto a floured board and knead it until a smooth, uniform dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

Work the dough as little as possible to keep it light and flaky.

Filling: In a medium size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook, stirring often until they soften, about 4 minutes.

Start with sautéed onions & peppers.

Add the thyme, chili powder and rosemary to the onions & peppers and sauté for a minute longer.

Adding the spices to the onions & peppers kicks up the flavor of the dish.

Add the beef and brown the meat for about 10 minutes until it is no longer pink. Add the stock and water then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the filling for 20-25 minutes until the liquid is reduced to a sauce.

Cook the ground beef thoroughly then simmer it with the liquids.

Divide the dough in half, re-wrapping one of the halves in the plastic and returning it to the fridge. Place the other half on a floured surface and roll it out to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 5-inch diameter round cutter, cut out 4 circles.

Ready to fill the dough rounds.

Place a 2 scant tablespoons of filling on one half of each circle of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border near the edge. Using your finger tip, moisten the edge of the dough circle with a bit of water, then fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges to seal them together. Repeat the procedure with the second half of the dough.

Fold the dough over the filling and seal the edges.

The patties can be frozen at this point. Place them on a baking sheet and stick them in the freezer for at least half an hour. When they are frozen, place them in a single layer in a large freezer bag. To bake them from frozen, place the frozen patties in a 350ºF oven for about 40 minutes.

We ate some right away and froze some for later.

If you are cooking the freshly made patties, put them on an ungreased baking sheet in a 350° oven for 22-25 minutes. Serve hot.

Lots of spiciness here!

Spice up for warmth & good health!  ~Linda

Jamaican Patties          Makes 8 5-inch patties

Dough
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup cold water

Filling
1 small onion, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced (include the seeds for more spice)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup water
salt to taste

Dough: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, turmeric and salt. Cut the cold butter into tablespoon size pieces and drop into the flour. Using an electric mixer, mix the butter into the flour until it resembles pea sized pieces. Mix in the cold water until a very shaggy dough forms. Dump the dough onto a floured board and knead it until a smooth, uniform dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

Filling: In a medium size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook, stirring often until they soften, about 4 minutes. Add the thyme, chili powder and rosemary to the onions & peppers and sauté for a minute longer. Add the beef and brown the meat for about 10 minutes until it is no longer pink. Add the stock and water, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the liquid is reduced to a sauce.

Divide the dough in half, re-wrapping one of the halves in the plastic and returning it to the fridge. Place the other half on a floured surface and roll it out to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 5-inch diameter round cutter, cut out 4 circles. Place a 2 scant tablespoons of filling on one half of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border near the edge. Using you finger tip, moisten the edge with a bit of water, fold the dough over press the edges to seal them together. Repeat the procedure with the second half of the dough.

The patties can be frozen at this point. Place them on a baking sheet and stick them in the freezer for at least half an hour. When they are frozen, place them in a single layer in a large freezer bag. To bake them from frozen, place the frozen patties in a 350ºF oven for about 40 minutes.

If you are cooking the freshly made patties, put them on an ungreased baking sheet in a 350° oven for 22-25 minutes. Serve hot.