Cuban empanadas

I saw a thing on facebook for Cuban empanadas but there was no recipe as such. There was a video with a caption of each ingredient and the amount as it was going along. I stopped the video each time a new ingredient was added and wrote it down. I was thinking this was going to be a lot different than the PR empanadas I usually make but then I took a closer look at the recipe and decided it would be a disaster. It had a cup or a tablespoon of almost everything.  The dough had a cup of flour, a cup of shortening and a tablespoon of salt.  That was way too little flour and way too much of everything else.  The filling was a cup of green pepper, a cup of red pepper, a cup of orange pepper and a cup of ground beef. It had a Tablespoon of cumin, a Tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon of oregano, etc.  I looked up several other Cuban empanada recipes and they all had more reasonable ingredients in more reasonable amounts.  They were actually all pretty much like the ones I had made several times before.   The difference with the one I used is that it had a chimichuri sauce which I thought was a good idea and made it too.

 CUBAN EMPANADAS  Fried or baked

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup solid shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 3/4-1 cup warm water

FOR THE PICADILLO FILLING:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, diced
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground beef (can substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken)
• 1/2-3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2-3 cups of oil for frying
• Serve with: chimichurri sauce

FOR THE PICADILLO FILLING:

• Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and once oil is hot, add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add the ground meat to the skillet, stir well and continue cooking until beef is browned and fully cooked, about another 10 minutes.
  
  **After browning meat, can drain any excess fat from the pan.
  
• Add the sliced olives, tomato sauce, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cumin, and dried oregano. Stir well so all ingredients are combined, cover pan and lower heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until mixture thickens.
  
  Check seasonings and add salt, if needed. Set aside and let mixture cool before filling each empanada.

For The Chimichurri:  Make 2 hours ahead

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup flat leafed parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 fresh lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon fresh or pickled jalapeno, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

ASSEMBLING THE EMPANADAS:

• Remove dough ball from refrigerator and separate into 10 equal sized balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball into a thin circle. Place a few tablespoons of the picadillo onto the center and fold half of the dough over, sealing the edges by pressing down with a fork or twisting the edges over to form a seal.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pot or deep fryer to 365F/185C degrees. **See recipe notes on how to bake empanadas instead of frying**
  
• Gently place 1-2 empanadas at a time in the hot oil (do not crowd) and cook until brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and let drain on wire rack. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
  
• Serve warm with lots of chimichurri on the side. 

Recipe Notes & Tips:

• Cooked empanadas can be frozen in a freezer proof bag or plastic container for up to 3 months. Let fully thaw before reheating in a 325F oven for 5 minutes.
• These empanadas can be successfully baked! TEA reader Elaine did it and she said they turned out great. Here are her instructions:Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Place the empanadas on a non-stick baking sheet, brush the tops with a beaten egg, and bake for 25 minutes.