Empanadas

My friend Elizabeth came over and made these. Fantastic! The dough can be used for either salty or sweet empanadas.

DOUGH

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup flour (281 g.)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1 T. vinegar
1/3 cup cold (preferably ice) water (plus more handy if needed)


Directions


1. Mix together flour and salt

2. Incorporate butter by rubbing butter and flour together between your fingers until it resembles course meal

3. Beat the egg with the vinegar and water and pour into the flour mixture

4. Incorporate wet and dry ingredients by hand or using a wooden spoon, being careful not to work the dough too much, until dough just holds together (if it doesn't, add water a tablespoon at a time to dry parts)

5. Dough is ready when it can be shaped into a cohesive ball (cracks are fine!). Wrap it in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for at least an hour.

6. When dough it ready, preheat oven to 400. Divide dough into small balls, and roll out each ball with a rolling pin. Put filling in the middle then fold so it resembles a half moon with scrunched up dough on the round side.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.



FILLING:

The beauty is that you can fill these with pretty much anything. Seriously! Dessert or dinner, doesn't matter,.

Elizabeth made two kinds: one with ground beef and one with strawberry jam. The jam one was easy: just jam!

The beef one was made by sauteing onions (and garlic) until soft, then adding beef and cooking until cooked. She also added chopped cubes of boiled potato and carrots, as well as frozen peas (which she mixed into the beef). MMMMMM!!!! Thanks, Elizabeth!