Chile Empanada

A national dish is a dish, food or a drink that is considered to represent a particular country, nation or region.

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries of Latin America and the south of Europe. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing. The stuffing can consist of a variety of meats, vegetables, or even fruits.

Ingredients

    * 1 tablespoon butter
    * 1 large onion, chopped
    * 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    * 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    * 1 teaspoon cumin
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 1 pound ground pork
    * 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
    * 1 cup raisins
    * 1 cup chopped black olives
    * 1 cup water
    * 1 teaspoon cornstarch
     
    * 1 cup lukewarm milk
    * 1 cup shortening, melted
    * 5 cups all-purpose flour
    * 2 teaspoons salt
    * 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

   1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper in the melted butter until the onion is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ground pork and cook until completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes more; drain the fat from the skillet. Stir the eggs, raisins, and olives into the mixture. Whisk the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl; pour into the skillet and stir until the liquid thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
   2. Whisk the milk and melted shortening together in a bowl until evenly blended. Stir the flour and salt together in a separate large bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk until well mixed into a dough. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
   3. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
   4. Place the dough onto a lightly-floured board and roll to about 1/8-inch thick; cut into circles with a round cookie cutter or glass. Drop equal portions of the pork mixture into the center of each circle. Fold each circle in half and press edges with a fork to seal. Brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg.
   5. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes.