Making Empanadillas "Empanadas"

As of right now it is no secret that I like to cook and eat. For almost a year I've tried to eat as healthy as I can, but from time to time I miss some of the yummy, greasy Puertorican food. In this case I wanted empanadillas or how they are called here in the states, empanadas. Living in Northern Virginia it is hard finding good Puertorican food. So when my mom asked me what I wanted her to bring me, I didn't think twice and said: Tortillas to make home made empanadillas like my grandma Matona use to make, among other things...

So one morning while my parents were here visiting, my mom woke me up and surprised me with wanting to make empanadillas. I set up all the ingredients and embarked on another one of grandma Matona's adventures. We decided we needed to make two different kinds of empanadillas: cheese and ground beef. For that we needed:

1. cheese (only ingredient for cheese empanadillas)
2. ground beef
3. red sauce
4. potatoes
5. tortillas (main ingredient)

I always thought that making empanadillas was hard, but then again I always think that preparing some foods is hard, but it was easier than I thought.

The frist thing we did was make the ground beef. We added into a sauce pan:
1. ground beef (make sure you adobo the beef or turkey first)
2. potatoes (sliced into small cubes)
3. red sauce (just enough to coat the beef)
4. green olives (you can add them if you like)

Then... We waited for the beef to be done. (It will probably take about 20 minutes for the beef to be done...)

So when it was all done:


We:

1. Get a tortilla

2. Filled it with ground beef or cheese

3. Folded it in half and used a fork to seal it in both sides and voila... the finished product before frying or baking them.

 In this case we ended up frying them because of time; but I am looking forward to making more so I am able to bake them, that way I do not feel bad about eating them because they will be "healthier".

Until next time,
Nadia