Pastelillos (Empanadas)
- Ingredients: Filling1 pound meat (The pork we use for the pastelillos is usually left over from a roast loin of pork. Dice the meat into small bits, then add to the sauteing sofrito and tomato sauce. If starting from scratch, choose 2 to 3 pounds of lean pork chops and saute on the stove top with sofrito and tomato sauce. When cooked, cut the meat from the bone, chop up into small cubes and return the meat to the sofrito. Some people chose ground beef, or ground poultry meat, for ease of cooking. Pastelillos using pork, or seafood (crab, lobster or shrimp, diced-the fillings used in Puerto Rican coastal towns) are preferred and are more traditional.)
Sofrito for filling
1 medium bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 ounces tomato sauce (1/2 can)
pinch of oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil for saut?ing
Ingredients: Dough3 cups all-purpose white flour
12 tablespoons softened butter
4 tablespoons water to add to flour
1/2 bottle of vegetable oil for frying
pinch of salt
12 tablespoons softened butter
4 tablespoons water to add to flour
1/2 bottle of vegetable oil for frying
pinch of salt
Serving: approximately (2) dozen pastelillos
Method1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron). Saute onions, peppers and garlic until soft.
2. Add meat and tomato sauce to the pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. When cooked, remove from heat and let cool.
3. To prepare the dough, cut the flour and softened butter together in a large bowl, then add small amounts of water slowly, working the mixture with your hands to a soft consistency (the flour should be moist, but not wet).
4. Break off fist-sized pieces of the dough; using a well-floured rolling pin on a well-floured surface, roll out each portion into a 1/8-inch-thin circular disk. (Have extra flour on hand to dust the rolling pin and your hands as needed.) Using a small (4-inch) plate as your guide, trim edges.
5. Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling onto one side of each disk.
6. Fold the disk in half over filling; press edges down firmly with the tines of a fork so that no filling will leak into the oil. Before frying, lay the pastelillos flat on floured wax paper, a few inches apart, to prevent sticking.
7. Deep-fry each pastelillo in hot (375F) vegetable oil until golden (about 4 to 5 minutes on each side). Remove and drain on paper towel. (Or burn your mouth on a hot one!) Serve with white rice and beans, or a good calderone of arroz con gondures (rice with pigeon peas).
Method1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron). Saute onions, peppers and garlic until soft.
2. Add meat and tomato sauce to the pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. When cooked, remove from heat and let cool.
3. To prepare the dough, cut the flour and softened butter together in a large bowl, then add small amounts of water slowly, working the mixture with your hands to a soft consistency (the flour should be moist, but not wet).
4. Break off fist-sized pieces of the dough; using a well-floured rolling pin on a well-floured surface, roll out each portion into a 1/8-inch-thin circular disk. (Have extra flour on hand to dust the rolling pin and your hands as needed.) Using a small (4-inch) plate as your guide, trim edges.
5. Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling onto one side of each disk.
6. Fold the disk in half over filling; press edges down firmly with the tines of a fork so that no filling will leak into the oil. Before frying, lay the pastelillos flat on floured wax paper, a few inches apart, to prevent sticking.
7. Deep-fry each pastelillo in hot (375F) vegetable oil until golden (about 4 to 5 minutes on each side). Remove and drain on paper towel. (Or burn your mouth on a hot one!) Serve with white rice and beans, or a good calderone of arroz con gondures (rice with pigeon peas).
BEEF PATTY'S
INGREDIENTS FOR BEEF FILLING:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon Accent
- 8 sprigs of thyme
- 2 ozs escallion
- 2 small hot peppers
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- half a loaf french bread
- 1 teaspoon salt
METHOD:
- Grind escallion and hot peppers in a mincing mill.
- Add to ground beef with salt.
- Place meat in a saucepan making a well in the center into which place 4sprigs of thyme.
- Cook without adding any water or fat until meat has lost its broth and only certain amount of oil remains.
- Pour off excess oil and add this to the paprika to be
used later on, strained for coloring meat. - While meat is being cooked, pour sufficient cold water over bread in a saucepan to cover and soak for a few minutes, then squeeze dry, saving water.
- Pass bread through mincing mill and return the ground bread water with 4 sprigs of thyme and cook until bread is dry.
- Combine meat and cooked bread.
- Add color, paprika in sufficient quantity to color the meat to taste.
- Cook together for a further 20 mins.
- Add Accent . Remove from fire. Cool for filling pastry circles.
INGREDIENTS FOR PASTRY:
- 11 ozs suet (beef fat or shortening)
- 4 cups flour
- 1 level teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup iced water
METHOD:
- Trim all skin and fatty membrane from suet and set overnight in freezer.
- Next day, with a very sharp knife shave suet as finely
as possible. - Combine salt and flour, then work in suet as you would shortening in plain pastry, cutting it in with two knives.
- Add iced water in sufficient amount to have a dough which can be rolled out.
- Form into a ball and with a rolling pin, pat gently, turning the dough over once or twice in order to have it all properly held together.
- Set overnight wrapped in wax paper paperin freezer.
- Next day, pull off enough dough (after defrosting) to roll into a circle the size of a breakfast saucer.
- Dip dough in flour before rolling.
- Roll quite thin and cut in a circle. (use saucer for help) In the center of each circle place a spoonful of meat, fold dough over toform a crescent shape seal edges with egg white or by crimping the edge and folding dough slightly under.
- Do not prick thepastry.
- Bake on ungreased tin sheet in a hot oven for about 35 mins.
- This recipe will make about 3 dozen regular patties. if cocktailpatties are needed, use a smaller cutter than a saucer.
- Serving 3 dozen regular size patties.Try different fillings for experiment.
