Tasty Empanadas

Step 1

Chop and Cook the onions, garlic and peppers till soft, add the beef and cook till brown. I used butter for cooking the meat but you can use oil if you wish. When meat is brown add the spices and let simmer at low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every now and then. Try it and add salt and pepper if needed.

Step 2

Now this is important: put the filling in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours or even better overnight. The filling needs to be cold to use.

Step 3

Add salt to flour. Add lard and incorporate well using your hands. When mixed, add water. I used my stand mixer to make the dough.

Step 4

Bring to the table and split in 3 to better be able to roll. With the rolling pin, roll the dough to a thickness of about 3 or 4 mm. I cut my discs about 4" diameter. (use a saucer or similar to cut like a template)

Step 5

Pile the cut discs and separate them using sheets of parchment paper and cover with a towel so they don't dry out. Keep rolling and cutting until all the dough is gone. Depending on the thickness this should yield about 24 discs.

Step 6

Fill the discs and fold. If you find it too challenging to fold the closure like in the picture, use a fork to join the sides. Make sure you wet the edges so the folded edges stick to each other.

Step 7

Make sure the oil has reached the temperature of 400 F. If the oil is not hot enough, the empanadas will not be nice and crispy. Then carefully place the empanadas in the oil, and cook for around 5 - 7 minutes, until golden and the pastry goes bubbly like in the photo. Do not over fill the pan, but cook in batches so everything can cook evenly.

Step 8

Place on some kitchen paper then serve.