A staple of every Sueiro childhood, these fried meat pies are a memorable group activity as well as a meal. It’s way too much work to take on alone, best done by assembly line.
The picadillo filling recipe is elsewhere in this book.
Empanadilla Dough
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons Crisco shortening
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Prepare picadillo
Prepare dough
- Sift together flour, salt and sugar.
- Add Crisco and use two butter knives to cut together until flour mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal texture.
- Add water and beaten egg, cut together then knead into a uniform dough.
- Form into a ball and dust lightly with flour.
Assemble and fry empanadillas
- On a lightly floured cutting board, roll out the dough.
- Use a small plate (about 6 inches) to cut circles in the dough, tracing the plate with a sharp knife. Remove the excess dough between the circles and form into a ball.
- Place a spoonful of picadillo in the center of each circle.
- Wet your fingertip with water and and moisten the edge of the circle of dough with your finger, then fold the circle in half over the picadillo. Use a fork to press and seal the edges together. Or fold the edges together with your fingertips, like a pie crust.
- Repeat until you’ve filled all the circles, then roll out the remaining dough and repeat until you use all the picadillo. (Any leftover dough can be used to make hojaldres for dessert- fried dough topped with cinnamon sugar.)
- Heat 1” of canola or vegetable oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add empanadilla to hot oil, the dough should immediately bubble but not burn. Spoon hot oil over the top if you want to make more puffy, or flip to fry both sides completely.
- Drain on paper towels and wait a couple of minutes before biting to prevent scalding your mouth!