baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the butter and lard until the mixture has the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Add 3–6 tablespoons cold water a teaspoon at a time
mixing between additions using a table knife
until you have a soft dough. Roll the dough into a ball
wrap it in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.
For the meat filling
boil the eggs for 10 minutes
until hard boiled. Cool under running water
then peel and chop. Set to one side.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the green pepper and minced beef and fry over a high heat until the meat has browned. Stir in the paprika and chilli powder. Remove from the heat and add the raisins
olives
cumin and eggs. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To assemble the empanadas
remove the pastry from the fridge
and roll out to the thickness of a pound coin (3mm). Cut circles from the pastry
using a saucer or a 12cm/4½in pastry cutter.
Put 2–3 heaped teaspoons filling on one half of each pastry circle. Wet the edges of the pastry with a little water
fold the non-filled half of the pastry over the filled half
and crimp the edges or use a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry circles.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and fry the empanadas in batches until golden and cooked through. Add more oil between batches to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Serve warm.
