Empanadas

What are empanadas? They're basically the Latin American take on beef turnovers, or beef patties. I'm half Puerto Rican, so growing up I always assumed empanadas were a Puerto Rican thing, however, according to Wikipedia, the Internet's most reliable source, I have learned that quite a few different Latin countries, and even some other nations, have their own versions of this dish. Normally, an empanada would be fried, but my mother always used to bake them, so that is actually my preference because the fried ones seem greasy to me. Don't get me wrong though, they are still muy delicioso when fried, so if you've got a deep frier or some spare oil you're dying to use, you could try frying some of them to see which you prefer! Also, it would probably be wrong of me not to warn you of how time consuming making empanadas can become, especially if you're making a ton of them. I suggest having your friends help out, so you can get done faster and everyone gets to join in on the fun!

The empanadas can be eaten by themselves, but I recommend pairing them with rice and beans. 

Ingredients
1 pound of chopped meat
1 packet of Sazón
Adobo
1 package of Goya discos grandes para empanadas
*There are a few things I want to point out here*
     1. The discs are found in the freezer section of supermarkets. I bought mine at Modern on Arthur Ave. However, they don't carry them in my Stop & Shop at home, so depending on where you live they may be a bit difficult to find.
     2. Goya makes discos and discos grandes (for those who don't know español that just means large discs). I used the discos grandes when I made these. With one pound of meat you can use an entire package of 10 discos grandes, but if you use the smaller discs you will need two packages of 10 in order to use up all of the meat.
     3. In addition to the plain discs that I used, Goya also makes orange ones. Technically there is a difference, but I personally can't really taste it. So if the orange ones are all you can find, the resulting empanadas will be just as delicious. 


Here's how it's done:
• First, make sure your discos are defrosted! They are impossible to use if they are still frozen.
(• If you're going to use the recipe I linked to earlier to make rice and beans with the empanadas, you should make the beans while you prepare the meat, and then make the rice while the empanadas are baking).
• In a medium pan cook the chopped meat thoroughly. Turn off gas once meat is fully cooked.
• Strain the grease out and put the meat back into the pan.
• Add the sazón and add some adobo to taste. Mix the seasonings around until they cover the meat as evenly as possible.
• Pre-heat your oven to 350°. 
• Place one disc on an empty plate. Put meat on one half of the disc, and be sure to leave some space around the edges. 
**Note: you don't want to pile the meat too high, or else your empanada will be difficult to close.

• Fold the empty part of the disc over the meat and match up the edges.
• Using a fork, press the sides together. Be sure to do this for entire half-circle, you don't want your empanada to pop open in the oven!

• Place your finished empanadas on a baking sheet, or pan to go into the oven.
• When all of your empanadas are ready, place them into the oven. Cook them for 10 minutes, flip them and then cook for another 10 minutes. Depending on the strength of your oven they may need an additional 5-10 minutes on each side. 
• You'll know they're done when they have those golden marks on the top and bottom, like in the first picture. 
**Note: They are basically little pockets of heat so make sure you let them cool off for a few minutes!


Once your empanadas have cooled off a bit and your rice and beans are ready, load everything up on your plate and enjoy :)