Beef empanadas

The English call it a meat pasty (note to self: it's pronounced "past", not "paste"). We Filipinos call it an empanada. Anyone of any culture would call it yummy. After my empanadas won third prize at Alfie's office potluck contest, I made a lame attempt at writing down a recipe -- you know, my usual "throw some ground beef and onion together in a frying pan" kind of thing. This time I'm trying to be more specific:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small white onion, minced
1/2 small orange or red pepper, minced
1 small roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup raisins
3 Tablespoons ketchup
salt, pepper and paprika

1 package (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (box of 2)

1 egg + 1 Tablespoon of milk

1) Take the pie crusts out of the fridge and leave to soften. Preheat oven to 350F.



2) Brown the ground beef, onion pepper and tomatoes in a pan. Add the ketchup and raisins, and simmer till the liquid is gone. Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika.



3) Roll out each pie crust until the dough is approx. 4 inches wider than the original circle. Cut out 6-inch diameter circles (you should be able to make around 7 or 8 rounds total).



4) Spoon the meat mixture into each circle. Fold the dough over and crimp the edges. Prick some holes onto the top with a fork.



5) Place the empanadas on a sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat the egg and milk together in a small bowl; brush the tops with the egg-milk mixture.



6) Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

This version differs slightly from the original so-called recipe -- I omitted the potatoes and used fresh tomatoes instead of tomato soup, and these ones are meal-sized rather than bite-sized -- but it's all good. Maybe next time I'll try it with a chicken filling.