Beef Empanadas

For the dough:

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cut the shortening into the flour using mixer, two knives, a pastry cutter or your (clean) fingers.

Mix water, eggs and vinegar in a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry until a dough forms. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead to bring everything together. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

For the filling:

In a large enough pan to hold all the beef, heat oil over medium heat. When oil is hot add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant, maybe 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain grease if necessary. Add red pepper flakes, olives and water. Simmer and stir occasionally, allowing the water to cook down and reduce. This should not be very saucy—the filling should be dry.
Remove from heat, add corn and hard boiled eggs into the mixture. Stir to combine and allow filling to cool before assembly.

Remove dough from fridge and form into balls that are a little smaller than a golf ball. Roll balls into disks about 6 cm across. Place two tablespoons of filling in the centre of each disk. Fold dough over the filling and seal the seams together with a rope edge technique or your favorite method. Repeat until you’ve used all of the dough and filling.

Heat the shortening in a large frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot add some of the empanadas in a single layer. Fry empanadas, flipping after about a minute or when golden brown. Cook the other side until golden brown. Remove them from the pan using a spatula. Repeat frying the rest. Let them drain and cool on paper towel before devouring 6 at once.