Empanadas
Yield: Makes 24 empanadas
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 lb (500 g) lean ground Canadian Pork
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh or canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp (5 mL) EACH: ground cumin, dried oregano and paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried apricots, finely chopped
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped, pitted black olives
1-14 oz (397 g) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, separated
1 Tbsp (15 mL) milk
Cooking Instructions
Sauté pork in a skillet until no pink remains; drain and reserve. In same skillet, gently sauté onion, jalapeño and garlic in oil 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in spices, salt, water, apricots, and reserved pork. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavour. Stir in olives and set aside to cool.
Roll half the pastry into a 12-inch (30-cm) square. Cut nine 4-inch (10-cm) circles. Re-roll scraps and cut 3 more circles. Brush edges of a few circles with egg white, spoon 2 tsp (10-mL) filling in centre, fold pastry over and press edges to seal. Crimp edges with a fork. Brush with mixture of egg yolk and milk: place on greased baking sheet.
Prick tops of empanadas twice with a fork. Refrigerate until baking time, or freeze until required. Bake at 400°F (200° C) for about 15 minutes, or until pastry is golden.
Serve hot.
