Cuban Empanadas
deep fried Beef picadillo empanadas
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons lard or unsalted butter
Picadillo Filling
- 2 cups Cuban Picadillo room temperature
Instructions
For the empanada dough
- In a small bowl stir 1 teaspoon salt in ¾ cup warm water until completely dissolved. Don't skip this step.
- In a large bowl, place 4 cups all-purpose flour and add 7 tablespoons lard or unsalted butter, melted and warm.
- Gradually add the warm salted water. Start mixing from the center outward, incorporating flour from the edges. When you can't mix any more, transfer the shaggy dough to a clean counter.
- Knead by hand for about 4 minutes until a smooth, uniform dough forms. It should not be sticky.
- Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll the whole dough until ½ centimeter to 1 centimeter thick. Use a 6 inch round cutter to cut out discs.
Prepare the empanadas
- Place the cooked room temperature picadillo in a fine mesh strainer to train out any excess liquid. This helps avoid soggy empanadas.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the beef filling one one half of the dough disc, leaving about ½ an inch edge in order to seal the empanadas.
- Lightly brush the edges of the disc with water. Fold the top half of the circle over the filling then seal with a fork. Repeat with the rest of the dough or you can refrigerate the rest for another time.
- In a large dutch oven, heat 2 cup oil to 350ºF. Fry the empanadas for 4 minutes until crispy and golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towel-lined plates. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1empanada