The Empanada: Flaky, tasty, flavorful goodness.

Homemade Empanada dough: Ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour ½ teaspoon Sea salt 6 ounces irish butter (unsalted) or 1 stick of butter ( very cold, cut into small cubes) 1 egg ¼ cup to ½ cup of water ( add as needed, the goal is for a soft and smooth dough) Method: Pulse the flour and salt in a food processor, once mixed add the butter and pulse 3-4 times. It should resemble rough sand. Add the egg, half the water, and continue to pulse until dough forms. It should be soft and smooth. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, roll out into a large sheet and cut round discs to make the empanadas or you could roll out individual balls, roll them into discs, and make your empanadas. To make empanadas, place about 1.5 tablespoons of filling on the middle of each empanada disc. To seal the empanadas fold the disc and seal the edges by pressing the dough with your fingers or you could always use a fork. I'll show you a cool way to seal them when we do our cooking demo. For best results, place the filled empanadas on a tray covered with plastic wrap and place int eh refrigerator for at least one hour. Remove from the refrigerator, brush with an egg wash, and place in a preheated oven set to 375 degrees for 18-25 minutes. Rotate the empanadas halfway through the cook to ensure even cooking. Remove from oven once done, let empanadas cool for about 5 minutes before eating. Chef Ronaldo’s tip: You could always buy the premade frozen discs at any supermarket, definitely saves you time. Cuban Beef Empanada Filling: 2 Tablespoons Avocado oil 2 Shallots (roughly chopped) 2 Garlic cloves (roughly chopped) 1 teaspoon Hatcha chili powder 1 teaspoon dry oregano ½ teaspoon Cumin ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon of Tomato paste 2 ounces Chicken stock 2 small Yukon gold potatoes (small cubes) 1 lb Ground beef 80/20 Sea salt (to taste) Black Pepper (to taste) 1 egg is whisked to be used for the egg wash. Method Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees, bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt to the water, add potatoes and cook until tender, strain, and cool. In the meantime preheat a large pan on medium heat, add oil, saute shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes, and add ground beef, and brown. Add tomato paste and stir, add hatcha chili powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and mix. Turn heat to low, cook for about 3 minutes and add chicken stock. Add potatoes, and stir gently. Cook for about 5 minutes to incorporate flavors and remove them from heat. Once cooled fill empanadas.