CUBAN EMPANADAS, CUBAN MEAT PIES, EMPANDAS CUBANAS

Steps:

• 1. The above dough recipe makes 10 empanadas. You may want to double the recipe to make 20 empanadas. To make the dough: In a large bowl sift the flour and salt. Combine the butter and lard into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal or bread crumbs. Sprinkle with three tablespoons of the ice water, mix and form into a ball. If necessary add the remaining water to hold the dough together to make it soft not sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured flat surface and knead with the heal of the hand for 30 seconds to distribute the fat evenly. Form a ball dust with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour before using. This dough will keep for refrigerated for up to three days or it can be frozen. While the dough is in the frig make your filling.
• 2. Filling: In a large skillet heat olive oil. Saute onions, green peppers, fresh garlic, until just wilted add the ground meats and cook over medium heat until the meat looses it's red color. With a large wooden spoon break up the meat as much as possible and continue to saute everything, Next add the diced olives, raisins, tiny diced potatoes, the wine, tomato sauce, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, and ketchup. Stir everything real real good. Now add the dry seasonings, garlic powder, oregano, cumin powder, the packet of Goya Sazon seasoning, black pepper, salt, stir well making sure to incorporate all the seasonings. Taste to see if it has enough salt. Now cover mixture and lower the flame, cook for about a half hour. Do not add water. Every 10 minutes uncover, quickly stir and cover again. Make sure your flame is on low you do not want to scorch your meat filling. After 30 minutes uncover and check with a fork to see if the potatoes are tender. "Remember the potatoes should be diced in tiny little cubes for this dish". When all is cooked take a large mesh strainer and pour mixture into the strainer over a large container. let the mixture strain real good. With a fork run through the mixture so all of the oil and greases that the meat rendered out gets strained out. Do not try to push on the mixture or you will mush up the little potatoes. After straining out the grease and any sauce keep in the strainer over a bowl while making the empanadas. Let the mixture cool it can be warm, before making the empanadas.
• 3. Now remove the dough from the frig and make 10 round little balls. Make sure they are all about the same size. Make the egg wash mix one egg with a little milk. On a lightly floured surface; roll out a little dough ball into an 8-inch circle. Carefully brush the outside edge of the dough with the egg wash and place about 2 tablespoons of filling on one side. Fold the uncovered side over the filling, pressing out as much air as possible, then press the two edges firmly together. To completely seal the empanada press the edges together with the tines of a fork. Do all ten balls of dough like this. When all of the empanadas are made. You have two ways of cooking them.
• 4. You can fry each empanada in hot oil one at a time and drain on paper towels or you can bake in the oven as I have done with mine. I love my empanadas fried but because we are trying to cut down on the calories. I have opted to bake mine this time. I place my empanadas on a large parchment paper-lined pan and bake about 16 minutes on 350 degrees. If you are going to bake I brush with an egg yolk that has been beaten with a teaspoon of water. I brush each one and proceed to bake. Enjoy.