These savory empanadillas, a Puerto Rican meat pie similar to the empanada, are stuffed with delicious ground lamb.
Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Yields: 3 Dozen
Ingredients
1 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cupfinely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cuppine nuts
1 lbground American Lamb
1/2 cupchopped Spanish olives, stuffed with pimento
1 1/2 tspground cumin
1 tspdried oregano leaves, crushed
1 tspsalt
3/4 tsppepper
5 dashred pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1 large egg
2 recipes pastry for double crust pie crust, rolled 1/16-inch thick
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease two large baking sheets with butter or baking spray.
2In a large frying pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pine nuts and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lamb, crumbling it with a spoon, and cook until the lamb is no longer pink. Remove the lamb from the pan and drain well.
3Return the lamb to the pan and add the olives, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper sauce. Gently mix and set aside.
4In a small bowl, make an egg wash by beating together the egg and 1 tablespoon water; set aside.
5Using a cookie cutter, cut 4-inch rounds out of the pastry. Fill each round with one tablespoon of filling. Fold the pastry over to make a half moon and crimp the edges to seal. Cut three 1-inch slits in the top of the pastry.
6Brush each empanadilla with the egg wash. Place them on the baking sheets and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
7Serve warm or cold.
Recipe and image provided by the American Lamb Board.