Empanaditas / Pastelitos
(Salty pasties)
Empanaditas will add variety and Dominican flavor to your Hors d'oeuvres platter. We are presenting here a generic recipe in which you can substitute the chicken for cheese, ham, vegetables, seafood or filling of your choice.
Serve: 8 people

Before starting to cook: Boil the chicken with the chicken stock and half the salt until tender.

2 cups of all purpose wheat flour
1 lb of chicken breasts
1 cup of butter or vegetable oil
2 cups of oil (for frying)
2 leaves of coriander chopped finely
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cube of chicken stock
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3 tablespoons of very cold water
1 small red onion
1 green pepper
1 egg yolk
Black ground pepper

Shred the chicken very finely. Chop the onion and the green pepper into very small cubes. In a shallow pan heat two teaspoons of oil, add the onion, chicken and the green pepper, stir. Add the black pepper, the coriander and the tomato paste. Let simmer at very low heat until all the liquid has evaporated. Reserve. In a deep bowl mix the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, butter, cold water, baking soda and egg yolks. Knead until all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic. Add additional flour or cold water as needed. Wrap the dough in saran wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 25 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough. Cut out circles of about 4 inches in diameter. Put a teaspoon of the chicken in the center, double over in a semi-circle and seal the border pressing it with a fork. Deep fry the pasties and put on a paper towel for a minute before serving.