Pastelitos De Carne Cuban Beef Pastry Food

PASTELITOS DE CARNE (CUBAN PICADILLO FILLED PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Unfold your first sheet of puff pastry, and dust both sides with flour so it's not sticking to the board.
• Using your 2" round cookie cutter, or a narrow glass, cut out as many circles are you can from the first sheet. I got 27 out of this sheet. Place them into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the finely ground meat mixture into the center of the circle.
• Cut out a second set of discs from the 2nd sheet of puff pastry. Brush the edges of each circle with a bit of the beaten egg mixture.
• Place a disc of pastry onto of the meat mixture, pressing the sides with your fingers to fold the dough around the meat mixture.
• Using a fork, press down the edges of the circle to seal the two discs together. Cut a small slit into the top of the assembled pastelito, to allow steam to escape while baking.
• Bake the pastelitos at 400F for 15-20 minutes, on the highest rack in your oven. If the bottoms are getting dark but the tops are still not golden, you can broil them for a minute or two, but watch them! They can burn in an instant.
• Once they're out of the oven, lightly drizzle the pastelitos de carne with the agave nectar, or simple syrup. You don't want to drown them, you just want them to have a kiss of sweetness. Then devour, and repeat!

PASTELITOS DE CARNE (CUBAN BEEF PASTRY)

Steps:

• Allow the puff pastry to thaw according to the package direction (typically 20-30 minutes).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a bowl, scramble one egg using a whisk to make the egg wash.
• Once the puff pastry is thawed, carefully unfold it, placing the more floured part down on the counter. Using a cup or a round cookie cutter, cut out 9 circles from each sheet. (You should have 18 circles in total.)
• Place a tablespoon of the picadillo (beef) filling in the center of nine of the puff pastries circles. Brush the outer part of the circle with the egg. Place the remaining puff pastry circles on each circle with filling, aligning the edges. Pinch the edges down to seal them.
• Brush remaining egg wash on the top of each circle and cut a small line through the middle of each circle. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper and place each puff pastry circle on the sheet leaving about 2 inches of space between them.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• While the pastelitos are in the oven, add half a cup of sugar into a small saucepan and add a quarter cup of water. Heat over medium-high heat until all of the sugar is dissolved.
• Remove the pastelitos from the oven and lightly brush them with the glaze. Enjoy!

PASTELITOS DE CARNE (CENTRAL AMERICAN MEAT PIES)

Steps:

• On medium high in a large pan, cook the ground beef and drain extra fat. To the cooked beef, add in the rice, cilantro and salt to taste. Cook for about 2 more minutes to heat thru. Set aside and let cool for about 7-10 minute.
• Meanwhile, In a large bowl, mix the masa harina, paprika, chicken bullion and pepper.
• Using a Pastry blender or fork, cut the lard into the masa mix until the masa is crumbly and the lard is pea size or smaller.
• Add the warm water, 1 cup at a time, to the masa and using your hands, mix well until the water is fully incorperated. The masa should not be sticky or dry. If it is sticky add a little bit more masa (1 tspn at a time) or if it is dry add water (1 tbspn at a time).
• Rub a little bit of cooking oil into your hands to make the following step easier. Take out about 2 table spoons of masa and roll into a ball. Using a tortilla press or a rolling pin, make the ball into the size of tortilla but be careful not to roll out to thin. The thickness has to be twice as thick as a tortilla or about the thickness of a pita bread. If it is too thin, the pies will not hold when you stuff them.
• Heat your deep fry oil on a large frying pan on medium high heat (almost high heat).
• Place rolled out dough on a flate surface and add about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture in the middle. Close in half (creating the shape of a meat pie or half moon). Seal in edges with your fingers and creat small indintations with the end of a fork all around the edge of the pie.
• Before frying, test oil readiness by dropping a small piece dough into the oil. If it automatically sizzles and floats to the top, it is ready. Carefully slide in meat pies into the hot oil and cook about 3-4 minutes per side or until deep golden brown.
• Drain very well on paper towels. You can also slightly press a paper towel against the fried pies to remove excess oil. You can serve whole over a bed of shredded green cabbage or cut in half and serve Sarita's All purpose Tomato Sauce on the side.