Recipe: Empanadas Recipe 2

Empanadas recipes are made with many different fillings. I found this one with hard boiled eggs and raisins. It has olives also you could always leave that ingredient out.

Joan

Meat Empanadas

Shells

-empanada shells, about 12

Empanada shells ("tapas de empanadas") are available at some hispanic markets. Call up until you find one that has them. They generally come frozen, and you must defrost them before using them. Some hours in the fridge is probably the best way of defrosting it, if you are desperate use the microwave, but be careful they don't start cooking.

If you have a choice of tapas, the "La Salte a" brand, imported from Argentina, is by far the best. It's not the most traditional, being a little more filo-doughy than others, but it's superb.

Filling:

-1 onion, chopped
-2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
-1 lb ground beef
-1 tbsp oregano
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp cumin
-1/2 cup green olives, chopped
-1/2 cup raisins
-1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
-salt and white pepper to taste
-olive oil
-tomato sauce (can be omitted)

Brown the onion and the garlic on the olive oil. Add ground beef and brown. Drain the fat off. Add the spices and cook until the meat is done. If you'd like, add some tomato sauce (I use pasta sauce), enough to moisten the meat. Once it's ready, mix in the olives, raisins and the egg (I personally skip the egg).

Scoop the meat mixture (about a tablespoon worth) onto the shell. Fold the shell, forming a semi-circle. Close the empanada by passing a fork though its open edge, merging both sides of the shell.

Brush the tops of the empanadas with a bit of water or milk. Sprinkle sugar. Bake in oven at 400 F. until golden.

Empanadas can be made with many different fillings. Another favorite of mine is cheese, Monterey Jack is probably the best choice in the US.

For a dessert alternative, use quince-jam as a filling (traditional quince-jam empanadas, however, are rather small).

Empanadas is a particularly good party dish, as they don't
require to be sitting up at a table to eat them.

Shell Recipe (In Event you want to make them)
3 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lard

Mix the dry ingredients in a bow then work in the
lard adding enough water to hold the dough together. Divide the dough into twelve equal balls. Flatten these either on a tortilla press or between pieces of waxed paper with a rolling pin into torilla of about 1/8 inch thick. Place 2 tablespoons of the above fillings in the center
of each tortilla.