Pastelitos de Carne

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour
• 80 g cold butter
• 1 egg
• 150 ml cold water
• 1½ tsp salt
• 400 g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ green pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• a small handful of olives, chopped
• 800 ml vegetable oil, for frying

Method

1. Rub up a short dough

   Rub the cold butter into the flour and salt, then bring it together with the egg and just enough water. Handle it as little as possible — this dough should be short, not stretchy.

2. Rest it cold

   Wrap and rest in the fridge for half an hour so it rolls thin without springing back.

   30 min

3. Cook the filling right down

   Fry the onion, garlic and pepper, add the mince, tomato purée and oregano and cook until dark and almost dry.

   15 min

4. Cool the filling completely

   Stir in the olives and let it go properly cold — an hour in the fridge is not wasted. Warm filling melts the butter in the dough and the pastelitos leak in the fryer.

   1 h

5. Fill and seal properly

   Roll thin, cut discs, fill one side, fold and press the edge with a fork all the way round. Any gap will find the oil.

6. Fry at 180°C

   Fry for three or four minutes a side until blistered and deep gold. They freeze raw and go straight from the freezer into the oil.

   7 min