- 3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 3 tablespoons shortening
Preparation:
1. In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.
3. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredietns from the first bowl into the centre.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.
Filling:
- 3 large onions, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped olives
- 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons milk
Final Preparation:
1. Prepare empanada dough and chill.
2. Cook the onions and garlic in the vegetable oil and butter until softened. Add the ground beef, cumin, chili powder, paprika, beef bouillon and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook the beef, stirring and crumbling the meat, until browned. Add the flour and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes more.
4. Remove the meat mixture and let cool. The beef mixture will keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
5. Shape the empanadas: separate the dough into golf ball size pieces and roll into smooth balls. Let rest for 5 minutes. On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a 6 inch diameter circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Add 1 tablespoon of the beef filling, a few raisins and some chopped olives, and a slice of hard boiled egg to the middle of the circle.
6. Brush the edges with water and fold the pastry in half over the filling, to make a semi-circle.
7. Seal the edges by pressing down with your fingers. Brush the sealed edge lightly with water, then turn the edge torward the middle and press with your fingers to seal.
8. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons milk and brush the empanadas with the mixture.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Chile is considered to be one of the most homogenous nations of Latin America in both ethnic and cultural terms. In contrast to many other Latin American nations, Chile has not experienced the emergence of strong regionalism or conflicting regional cultural identities.
Chilean cuisine has both Indian and European influences. The national dish, porotos granados, for instance, has ingredients characteristic of Indian cooking (corn, squash and beans), with distinctly Spanish contributions (onion and garlic).
There is an ancient custom in Thailand of expressing gratitude. On the grounds of the temples throughout the country are placed hundreds of brass bowls. The custom is that as a person walks past a bowl they drop a coin in and as the coin rings they say something for which they are grateful. 
All too often we focus on what we don't have, what we can't afford, what's missing from our lives. Many of us want more when we don't appreciate what we already have. Yet when we shift our perspective we realise how much we have to be grateful for. 
