Empanadas

In the 1970s, Chile was plunged into a violent dictatorship that lasted for 17 years. Augusto Pinochet, a man of high-ranking military stature, ruled with an iron fist. He suppressed his opposition, torturing or killing those who spoke out against him, and kept the country in a fearful chokehold for years. Under this corrupt regime, my abuelos met. My abuelo, Pedro, hosted a radio show before the coup, but it was silenced and replaced by two pro-Pinochet news bureaus. My abuela, America, had listened to Pedro’s radio show prior to the coup and had called in a few times to speak with him. Then finally, despite the dangers and constant threats in the capital of Santiago, her and the radio host met one another in person and fell in love.
America already had two children whom she was raising on her own. They were loud, rambunctious, and each crazier than the other. This hardly bothered Pedro, but his mother, Minina, was less than pleased.
A single mother? The one he first met over the phone? Disgraceful! Un niño rayado! Pedro would not marry America while she was around.
Despite my great-grandmother’s objection, they got married anyway. They had my dad the same year. Now, with a fairly large family of five people, America had her hands full.
My abuela’s friend promised to take her to a cooking class taught by an American woman who knew how to twist traditional South American recipes into slightly more Western-ized versions. America was open to many new recipes, so she gladly took the class. It was there where she learned how to make rollo de carne and the subject of this recipe, empanadas.

Now, the recipe (written in Spanish) sits in our family's cookbook, added in by my abuela. We rarely make the recipe, only dusting it off for special occasions and celebrations. This can be blamed on the lengthy procedure and day-long process, but when we do roll up our sleeves and get to work we can all agree it’s such a savoury reward.

DIRECTIONS

FOR EMPANADA FILLING

2 lbs ground beef
5 onions
1 tsp salt
Your preferred amount of paprika and oregano
⅛ cup of vegetable oil
OPTIONALS;
3 hard boiled eggs
1 cup black olives
1 tbsp vinegar

Chop the onions finely or blend them until pieces are about the size of a fingernail and place them in a pot at medium high and keep stirring until golden and water has evaporated. Do not let them burn.
Add in oil, spices, salt, ground beef, and any other filling options (olives, eggs) and cook until beef is brown.
When the filling is ready you have the option to add 1 tbsp of vinegar to offset the onion. This is optional!
Let the filling cool overnight before making empanadas.

FOR EMPANADA DOUGH (makes 20)

1 ½ cup of lard (warm)
6 cups of pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ cup milk (warm)

Preheat the oven to 325° (celsius).
In a large bowl put flour, beaten egg, lard, milk, and salt. Gently stir. This process will strain your arms.
Mix until generally combined then dive in with your hands. If the dough is dry then add more milk. If the dough is sticky add more flour. Mix until dough is soft and manageable.
Pick the dough up out of the bowl and roll flat.
Cut out circles or squares of dough about one fist in size. Take these circles/squares and roll them out separately a bit more.
Place the filling inside the circle/square and wet the edges gently with milk to hold the dough shut. Fold the empanada over and press the edges together.

Note: If you put too much filling, you will be able to tell. (The empanada will explode.)
7. Place them on a tray ½ inches apart. Coat the empanadas with beaten egg with a rubber pastry brush.
8. Place in the oven for 30 mins.
9. Finally, let cool for atleast 5 minutes and fight your every urge to eat them immediately (you will burn yourself).
Que te queden ricas!