Pastelitos De Carne Puff Pastry With Meat Filling Food

PASTELITOS DE CARNE (PUFF PASTRY WITH MEAT FILLING)

Steps:

• Follow recipe instructions from my carne molida post.Let meat cool.Note: Although my carne molida recipe calls for potatoes and sofrito, these two can be excluded from the carne molida you make for this dish. You will still end up with delicious picadillo.
• Unfold puff pastry sheet and with a rolling pin roll out to an 1/8 of thinness.Then using a biscuit cutter or cup, cut circles.Brush circles with egg wash.
• Add a tablespoon or more to center of circles.Top with another circle and press down with your fingers all around circle.Brush the tops with egg wash again.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.Serve with hot sauce and hot peppers. Enjoy!

PASTELITOS DE CARNE (CUBAN BEEF PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Make the simple syrup. In a small saucepan, stir granulated sugar and water together. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Set aside.
• Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions, usually about 20-30 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• Unfold both pastry sheets and cut each sheet into 9 circles using the rim of a glass cup or a biscuit cutter.
• Place a tablespoon of the picadillo filling in the center of each dough circle. Cover with another dough circle on top.
• Gently seal the edges of the dough circles together using a fork or by pressing down with your fingers. Brush egg wash on each pastry to get that flaky crust.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove the pastries from the oven and lightly brush the pastries with simple syrup. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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!

PASTEIS DE CARNE (FRIED PASTRIES WITH MEAT FILLING)

Steps:

• To prepare the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
• Add the melted shortening and warm milk and water.
• Mix to a smooth dough and cut into 2 pieces.
• To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes until soft and golden.
• Add the tomatoes, ground beef and salt.
• Simmer for 20 minutes until almost dry.
• Remove from the heat.
• Add the chopped parsley, egg, cheese and olives and mix well.
• To assemble pastries, roll out the pastry on a floured board to 1/8 inch thickness.
• Cut 12, 4 inch circles from each piece, 24 circles.
• Place 1 tablespoon filling on each circle and moisten around the edge with warm water.
• Fold over and seal the edges well.
• Deep fry in preheated 375f degree oil for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp.
• Remove with slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper towel.
• The pastries are also delicious cold and make good picnic fare.
• They may also be made without the ground beef.
• Variation to replace ground beef, use finely chopped ham, chopped chicken, or shrimp.

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.