Empanadas

I made another big batch of pulled turkey - further recipe to come - and was left with just a bit more meat than fix into one of my standard large Pyrexes. What to do? Well: meat pies is what. After perusing the standard recipes for English-style meat pies – most of which seem to involve weird things like cooking in boiling water – I decided to look into empanada recipes instead. Bingo. Many called for frying the pies, which while okay was not either a) the kind of messy effort I wanted to put in, or b) the effect I was going for. I wanted a nice flaky meat pie, and that's what I got.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C. shortening [I of course used duck fat]
• 1/3 C. milk

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk or stir with a fork until well mixed. 
2. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
3. Sprinkle with milk. Stir pastry with a fork until mixture begins to hold together; if mixture is too dry, sprinkle on another tablespoon of milk.
4. The pastry should not be sticky. Knead on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Let rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight before using. [I went overnight, wrapped in plastic]
5. Before baking, pre-heat oven to 375 F
6. Pinch off several tablespoons and roll into balls.
7. On a well floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll balls out into 5 or 6 inch circles 1/8-inch thick.
8. Fill with a tablespoon or so of filling; brush edges with water and fold over to make half moon shapes. Crimp to seal edge with a fork or pinch with your fingertips.
9. Bake for 25 min. or until golden brown
10. Enjoy! 

Verdict

Fantastic. Nice and flaky and savory; can also be wrapped in foil and frozen or kept in fridge for future reheating.