Empanadas

I'm back and eating! Last post was in October and that was a blur. November, December, and January...boy I got some blogging up to do! I have been taking pictures of my food conquests so I'm ready to share now!

First, let me say that lard piecrust is very versatile. Not only can it be a dessert, but also a salty fried thing! I took my piecrust, added a little less water to create these sueann friendly empanadas. Normal empanadas have cheese in the filling.

Use your standard piecrust recipe but instead of 2 cups flour use half corn meal and flour.

Filling:
1lb. turkey or beef, fried with lots of salt and garlic granules
Chopped onion - fried with meat
2-8 hot peppers - habenero will kick your ass so try a mild pepper, especially if you are a white person.
maybe throw in some left overs that will blend well. I think I threw in some chickpea salad ... everything tastes great fried huh?!

Roll out a large pinch of dough, about two golf balls. Flatten but not so thin it breaks the crust. Fill and fold over then squish ends tightly. You may need some water or egg to seal the closure. It is very important to seal or it will come apart in the frying process. I sort of braided the ends together.

Deep-fry until golden brown - I say about 1 minute each side 350-degree oil. If this is SueannFriendly use corn, safflower, canola, or peanut oil.

I tried these in lard and it made my tummy hurt. Lard in the dough AND in the oil was too much. It also tasted meaty and oil heavy.