Title: Great Grandma Silva's Chilean Empanadas
 Categories: Chilean, Beef
      Yield: 12 servings
 

---------------------PICADILLO FILLING--------------------------
  2 1/2 lb Round steak or boneless rump
           -roast
      1    Garlic clove
      1    Onion stuck with 3 cloves
      1    Carrot, peeled, cut into
           -pieces
    1/2 c  Sherry
  1 1/2 c  Black raisins
      3 tb Olive oil
      1    Onion, minced
      3 ts Oregano
      3 ts Cumin seed, crushed
      2 tb Ground chile powder
      1 ts Salt
    1/4 c  Slivered almonds
      1 c  Sliced black olives, or
    1/2 c  Sliced stuffed green olives
      2 tb Sugar for sprinkling over
           -empanadas (optional)

---------------------------PASTRY--------------------------------
    1/4 c  Vegetable shortening
      2 tb Butter
      3 c  All-purpose flour
    1/2 c  + 1 tb water
      1 ts Salt
  2 1/2 c  Canola oil for frying
 
  For best results, make the filling a day ahead.
  
  Cut meat into 6 pieces, place in a heavy pot and cover with cold
  water. Add garlic, whole onion and carrot. Simmer gently for 2 hours.
  If the meat cooks over high heat, it will toughen. When the meat is
  tender, turn off heat and let it cool in the broth until warm to the
  touch. Reserve broth.
  
  Using a sharp knife, chop meat very finely. You also can use a food
  processor but don't overdo. Grandma always minced her meat in a small
  wooden bowl using a hand chopper with a curved blade, but my
  ethnicity goes only so far...
  
  Warm the sherry in a small saucepan; add the raisins and let steep
  while you prep the other ingredients.
  
  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; add the onion and saute until
  softened. Stir in the oregano and crushed cumin and saute for 1
  minute. Stir in the chopped beef, ground chile and salt. Cook for 15
  minutes, adding enough of the reserved broth to make the mixture
  glisten. It should not be soggy, just moist.
  
  Remove picadillo from the heat, and stir in the plumped raisins, the
  almonds and olives. Taste, and add more salt, oregano, cumin or chile
  powder, if desired. If the picadillo seems a bit drier than you like,
  add more broth or (better yet) some of the raisin sherry. Refrigerate
  overnight, or up to 3 days.
  
  The pastry: Using a large fork or pastry blender, cut the shortening
  and butter into the flour until crumbly. Stir the salt into the
  water. Drizzle water slowly over the flour mixture, adding just
  enough to make a soft pliable dough. Knead gently a floured board for
  1 minute. The dough should be smooth but not overworked. Break off a
  golf ball-size piece of dough (keeping the remaining dough covered
  with plastic wrap) and roll into a 6-inch circle. Place 1/2 cup
  picadillo on half of the circle. Fold over the top half, pinching
  over the edges; press with a fork to seal. It is important to seal
  the edges well so the filling doesn't leak out during frying.
  
  Heat the canola oil in a 2-inch deep skillet. When the oil is hot
  enough it will ripple. Ease in 1 empanada and spoon hot oil over the
  surface. After 1 1/2 minutes, turn the empanada. Total cooking time
  for each empanada is about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove
  and drain on several thicknesses.of paper towel, blotting the surface
  with more paper towels. Sprinkle empanadas lightly with sugar while
  still warm.
  
  If you plan to serve the empanadas later, cool, cover, and
  refrigerate. To reheat, place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350
  degree F. oven for 10 minutes.
  
  Makes about 12 very large empanadas
  
  PER LARGE TURNOVER: 520 calories, 28 g protein, 44 g carbo- hydrate,
  27 g fat (6 g saturated), 73 mg cholesterol, 572 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.
  
  Jacquiline Higuera McMahan writing in the San Francisco Chronicle,
  12/16/92.