Empanadas

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for sharing this with us:

After our friend Tom had been a bachelor for several months, we stopped
by his home to visit him. My wife asked if he was eating properly.
"Well, I do eat a lot of dog food," Tom told her.

"Dog food!" my wife exclaimed, horrified. "I can't believe you would be
eating anything like that!"

"Come to the kitchen and I'll show you," Tom replied.

Opening the refrigerator door, he waved his hand at a row of doggie bags
from half of the restaurants in town.

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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This dish takes me back to my childhood as much as any other. It is
virtually impossible to go to a party or social function in Uruguay or
Argentina without being served these delicious meat pies. They are great
as a luncheon item, or served as a cocktail snack. Please try this
recipe, I guarantee you'll love it.

For the filling:
1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped onions
1 Tbs (15 ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) beef broth or water
1/2 lb (225 g) lean ground beef
1/4 cup (60 ml) seedless raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
1 tsp (5 ml) dried hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp (2 ml) paprika
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cumin seed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 hard-cooked eggs, each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
8 pitted green olives, quartered

For the dough:
2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
10 Tbs (150 ml) butter cut into 1/4-inch (5 mm) cubes
1/3 cup (80 ml) cold water

Begin with the filling. Combine the onions, olive oil, and beef broth or
water in a skillet and boil over high heat until the liquid is
evaporated. Add the meat and cook, stirring constantly, until brown.
Stir in the raisins, hot pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, and salt and
pepper. Set the filling aside.
  
To make the dough, combine the flour, butter and salt in a large bowl.
Using your fingers, rub the flour and butter together until they are
blended and look like coarse meal. Add the water and mix until the dough
can be formed into a compact ball. Roll the dough out onto a lightly
floured surface, making a rough circle about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. As
you roll the dough lift it up occasionally and dust underneath with
flour to prevent sticking to the work surface. Cut into rounds about 5
inches (13 cm) in diameter with a cookie cutter or empty tin can of the
right size, or using a plate or saucer of the right size as a guide, cut
the circles with a knife. Gather the resulting scraps of dough, roll and
repeat until you have 12 to 14 circles.
  
Place about 1 1/2 Tbs (20 ml) of the filling in the center of each
circle, leaving the edges of the dough exposed around it. Top the
filling with a piece of egg and 2 pieces of olive, and moisten the
exposed dough with a finger dipped in water. Fold the empanada in half
to form a crescent and press the edges firmly together. Decorate the
edges of the empanadas by pressing the dough with the tines of a fork,
or by pinching with the fingers. Arrange the empanadas on an ungreased
baking sheet and bake them in the middle of a pre-heated 400F (200C)
oven for about 5 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. With a
spatula transfer to a heated platter and serve immediately.
  
Note: These may be made in a smaller size suitable for hors d'oeuvre.
Cut into 3-inch (8 cm) rounds, and use about 1 tsp of filling per empanada.
Received on Mon May 4 19:51:47 2009