Abuelitas Empanadillas Food

ABUELITA'S EMPANADILLAS

Steps:

• Brown meat well; drain fat. Add capers, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and vinegar; stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. If making hand made dough, see step 6 below. If using wonton wrappers, go to step 2.
• For each empanadilla, place 1 teaspoon meat mixture in the center of one wonton wrapper. Fold in half to form a triangle, sealing edges with the flour paste. You may also crimp the edges with a fork for an authentic Caribbean appearance.
• Make all the empanadillas before starting to fry them, as they cook very quickly.
• Heat oil at least 1 inch deep in heavy skillet, to deep-fry temperature, about 365-370°F. Keep oil hot. Fry a few at a time in the hot oil, turning once, until golden on both sides. It takes about 1-2 minutes on each side; the wonton wrappers take even less time. They will puff up. Drain on paper towels.
• If meat filling runs out before the wonton wrappers, place a small cube of cheese (about 3/4-inch size) in the wrapper in place of the meat. Cook as directed above.
• TO MAKE HAND MADE DOUGH: Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water, and stir quickly with a fork until a ball of dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead just a few times on a well-floured surface. To make empanadillas, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a large marble, and roll into a very thin circle about 3-4 inches in diameter. Then proceed with filling as in step 2.
• Makes about 60 appetizers, or serves 6-8 people as a main dish.