VENEZUELAN EMPANADA FILLING

VENEZUELAN EMPANADA FILLING image

Yield 16 large

Number Of Ingredients 25

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2 tablespoons canola oil
12 ounces lean ground pork or beef, or a combination
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium-size onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 medium-size ripe but firm tomatoes (10 to 12 ounces),
peeled, seeded, and quartered
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1/4 cup muscatel wine or cream sherry
6 small black olives, pitted and finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried currants
1 recipe Masa para Empanadas al Homo
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Masa
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
1/2 cup lard or unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup warm water
Read more: Recipe: Dough for Baked Turnovers http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/south-america/masa.html#ixzz15qt2nIrF

Steps:

1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pork, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until the pink color disappears. 2. Place the onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, and capers in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the puree to the meat along with the muscatel, olives, and currants and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated but the mixture is still moist. Taste for salt. Remove from the heat, let cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight to let the flavors develop. 4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 5. Just before baking, brush the empanadas with the egg mixture and bake on the upper oven rack until lightly colored, about 20 minutes. Be careful: overcooking will dry out the filling. Serve warm. NOTE These empanadas freeze very well unbaked. Freeze on baking sheets lined with waxed paper until hard, then transfer to covered containers. You can pop them in the oven frozen; just increase the baking time by 5 minutes.