INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

  PASTRY:
1/4 cup vegetable shortening 2 tablespoons butter 3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups canola oil for
frying Cut meat into 6 pieces, place in a heavy pot and cover with cold
water. Add garlic, whole onion and carrot. Simmer gently for 2 hours. If
the meat cooks over high heat, it will toughen. When the meat is tender,
turn off heat and let it cool in the broth until warm to the touch. Reserve
broth.
Using a sharp knife, chop meat very finely. You also can use a food
processor but don't overdo. Grandma always minced her meat in a small
wooden bowl using a hand chopper with a curved blade, but my ethnicity goes
only so far...
Warm the sherry in a small saucepan; add the raisins and let steep while
you prep the other ingredients.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; add the onion and saute until
softened. Stir in the oregano and crushed cumin and saute for 1 minute.
Stir in the chopped beef, ground chile and salt. Cook for 15 minutes,
adding enough of the reserved broth to make the mixture glisten. It should
not be soggy, just moist.
Remove picadillo from the heat, and stir in the plumped raisins, the
almonds and olives. Taste, and add more salt, orega- no, cumin or chile
powder, if desired. If the picadillo seems a bit drier than you like, add
more broth or (better yet) some of the raisin sherry. Refrigerate
overnight, or up to 3 days.
The pastry: Using a large fork or pastry blender, cut the shortening and
butter into the flour until crumbly. Stir the salt into the water. Drizzle
water slowly over the flour mixture, adding just enough to make a soft
pliable dough. Knead gently a floured board for 1 minute. The dough should
be smooth but not overworked. Break off a golf ball-size piece of dough
(keeping the remaining dough covered with plastic wrap) and roll into a 6-
inch circle. Place 1/2 cup picadillo on half of the circle. Fold over the
top half, pinching over the edges; press with a fork to seal. It is
important to seal the edges well so the filling doesn't leak out during
frying.
Heat the canola oil in a 2-inch deep skillet. When the oil is hot enough it
will ripple. Ease in 1 empanada and spoon hot oil over the surface. After 1
1/2 minutes, turn the empanada. Total cooking time for each empanada is
about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on several
thicknesses.of paper towel, blotting the surface with more paper towels.
Sprinkle empanadas lightly with sugar while still warm.
If you plan to serve the empanadas later, cool, cover, and refrigerate. To
reheat, place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 10
minutes. Makes about 12 very large empanadas, or 24 small turnovers.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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