Name: Empanadas (Baked Filled Pastries)
Ingredients: PICADILLO (SPICY BEEF FILLING):; 1 lb Ground beef; 1 md Onion, finely chopped; 2 lg Ripe tomatoes, peel, chop; 1 Clove garlic, minced; 1 tb Vinegar; 1/4 ts Cumin; 1 ts Salt; 1 ts Granulated sugar; 1 ds Ground cloves; 1/2 ts Ground cinnamon; 1/2 c Raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes; 1/4 c Blanched almonds, chopped; 2 tb Chopped green olives (pitted); 1 ts Capers; 2 c All-purpose flour; 1/2 ts Salt; 2 tb Granulated sugar; 1/2 c Shortening; 2 tb Unsalted butter 1/3 cup ice water; 1 Egg, separated; 1 ts Water; 2 ts Milk

I've been there a few times in my life. Most don't understand it. That's understandable. However, it hit home to me when the Apostle Paul said, 'Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches' (2 Cor. 11:28). A number of years ago, the pain was so intense that the physical affliction Paul spoke about earlier in 2 Corinthians 11 would have been much preferred. I can take the long hours and the hard work. I can even take the pressures on my family. But the emotional pain is the one and only thing that forever tempts me to throw in the towel. When I feel that way, I can almost hear the Lord saying to me, 'Are you in it for Me or are you in it for yourself?' That's gut-check time. Am I really a servant of Christ (2 Cor. 11:23)?

Randy Smith

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Meats, Eggs, Dairy		Ground, Beef &, Turkey	1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

		PICADILLO (SPICY BEEF FILLING):
1	lb	Ground beef
1	md	Onion, finely chopped
2	lg	Ripe tomatoes, peel, chop
1		Clove garlic, minced
1	tb	Vinegar
1/4	ts	Cumin
1	ts	Salt
1	ts	Granulated sugar
1	ds	Ground cloves
1/2	ts	Ground cinnamon
1/2	c	Raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
1/4	c	Blanched almonds, chopped
2	tb	Chopped green olives (pitted)
1	ts	Capers
2	c	All-purpose flour
1/2	ts	Salt
2	tb	Granulated sugar
1/2	c	Shortening
2	tb	Unsalted butter 1/3 cup ice water
1		Egg, separated
1	ts	Water
2	ts	Milk

INSTRUCTIONS

PASTRY
To prepare the filling: Heat a large skillet. Add the ground beef and cook,
stirring, until it begins to brown and release some of its fat. Stir in the
onion and cook until transparent. Darin off excess fat and add the rest of
the ingredients to the skillet. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring
often. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool while you prepare
the pastry.
To prepare the pastry: Combine the flour, salt, and sugar and mix well. Cut
the shortening and butter into the flour mixture until it becomes coarse
and crumbly, like cornmeal. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of ice water onto the mixture
and stir with a fork, adding more water by the spoonful, if necessary, to
make the dough form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and
divide it into 24 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball. Preheat the oven
to 400F. In a small bowl, beat the egg white with 1 tsp of water until
frothy. Roll each ball of dough out into a circle 4 inches in diameter and
a little until 1/8-inch thick. Place a Tbsp of filling on one half of each
sircle, leaving a 1/4-1/2-inch margin around the edges. Moisten the edges
with the egg white mixture, then fold the other half of the circle over.
Press the edges together firmly and crimp with a fork to seal (or use a
cutter-crimper tool.) Transfer the pastries to a large baking sheet.
Lightly beat the egg yolk with 2 tsp of milk. Brush the pastries with this
mixture, then bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden.
Serve hot or warm.
Makes 24
Recipe by: Homemade Good News (Vol 5 No 6)
Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #472 by Sean Coate <swcoate@peganet.com> on
Feb 04, 1997.

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