Empanadillas Fried Puerto Rican Turnovers Recipes

MINI EMPANADILLAS (PUERTO RICAN BEEF TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Dough - Mix flour, salt, butter (slice up the stick of butter first) and egg with a food processor or mixer. Start adding water slowly until you get a nice stretchy dough consistency.
• The dough shouldn't be sticky, if it is, add more flour to the mix. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step is not absolutely necessary, but it does make the dough easier to work with.
• Beef Filling - Season ground beef with Adobo to desired taste, add chopped garlic cloves and brown the meat in a skillet. You may also use salt and pepper instead of Adobo if you prefer.
• Once meat is cooked add Sofrito, Sazon, tomato sauce, onions, green peppers, red peppers and potatoes. Let it simmer until potatoes are tender.
• Take your dough and roll it out with a rolling pin. Make sure to sprinkle flour on the surface, your rolling pin and hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Once your roll the dough out, use a cup or a round cookie cutter to cut circular shapes.
• Place a spoonful of beef filling on the dough and fold it shut.
• My favorite method for sealing empanadillas is to use a fork. Simply press on the edge with a fork on both sides and you're done.
• Fry each side of the empanadilla in hot oil. Simply remove when the empandilla gets a light golden color.

EMPANADILLAS DE CARNE (PUERTO RICAN EMPANADAS)

Steps:

• Follow instructions to make empanadilla dough and carne molida.
• On a flat surface, fill one empanadilla disk at a time by adding two tablespoons of the carne molida to the center (or it may be easier for you to add filling more to one side of dough) of the dough.
• Fold dough over to form a half moon.Crimp edges of the dough with a fork to seal.Note: Some people like to flip empanadilla over and crimp the other side as well but I find that it is not necessary as long as you crimp one side firmly.
• Add half an inch of vegetable or canola oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
• Once the oil has heated some, add a few empanadillas at a time and cook until golden brown on one side.Flip empanadillas over and cook on the other side until golden brown.Drain on paper towels.
• Serve with a side of lemon wedges and hot sauce.

EMPANADAS (BEEF TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, Sofrito, Sazon, garlic, oregano and black pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
• On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out discos until 1/2-inch larger in diameter. Spoon about 1 tbsp. meat mixture into middle, fold in half to form a half moon; moisten edges with water and pinch to seal closed, or seal with a fork.
• Fill a deep saucepan with oil to a depth of 2 1/2-inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking (350 degrees F on deep-fry thermometer). Cook Empanadas in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.