Empanadas Kiwi Style

Empanadas are typically known as a Latin American pie, but I grew up knowing them in NZ as pasties. Here they can be deep fried or baked. Tonight, I made a bunch and added my own twist and thought I´d share it with you.

Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C.

Dough

3 cups of flour
1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup (or 1/4 lb of butter)
2/3 cup of chicken stock
1 egg

Filling

250g minced beef
1/2 cup of diced capsicum (bell pepper)
1/2 cup of frozen corn
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 brown onion gravy sachet
salt and pepper
I also added some backyard oven seasoning I got in the USA.

Sweet alternative filling (I only made one but it was delicious even with the chicken stock, which sounds weird, but it does work)
1/4 grated apple
1 pecan (left over from Christmas)
1 tsp sugar
a sprinkle of cinnamon

To make the dough: mix the dry ingredients and cut in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. In a cup, whisk the egg with a fork and add the room temp. chicken stock. Add these wet ingredients to the dry and mix to form a soft dough.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour and divide the dough into about 18 evenly sized balls. Roll each ball out into a circle and place a spoonful or two on one side, dampen the edges with egg white, fold the edges together and pinch. Brush the top with egg white and bake on a tray lined with wax baking paper.

For the sweet alternative,  place grated apple into one of the rolled crusts, chop up the nut, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon, and close up the empanada. After brushing the top with egg white, sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Then flip them over and put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Well, folks it is time for prayer meeting. Blessings to you all.