Beef Empanadas

 Ryan gave me The Farmer's Wife by Helen Rebanks and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish!  One of my favorite parts of the book was the recipes that Helen weaves into her story.  I've tried several of her recipes, and this is our collective favorite thus far: lamb empanadas.  I've actually only ever used ground beef, and I made several other changes along the way to use more meat and veggies.  My family keeps asking me to make these again!  You can make the filling ahead of time, and don't forget to thaw the puff pastry.

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups finely chopped mix vegetables (whatever you want to use!): zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper, green beans, leafy greens
1 pound ground beef
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 /4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 /2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 /2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 /2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator

glaze: 1 egg, beaten, beat well in a cup
raita or yogurt and/or Indian pickle or mango chutney to serve

In a skillet, heat a little oil and cook the onion, garlic, and diced vegetables for 10 minutes, or until soft. Scoop them out into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, fry the ground meat and salt over medium heat, breaking it up until it starts to brown. Return the onion and vegetables to the pan and stir in the cumin seeds, cayenne, coriander, ground cumin, and turmeric. Cover the pan with a lid and cook gently over low heat for 30 minutes to make sure the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender.  Once cooked, let cool completely.  (or mostly completely!)

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the pastry to 12 × 18 inches. Cut into 6 squares of roughly 6 inches. Fill the squares on one corner with the cooled meat and vegetable filling, making sure to leave a border clear. Brush the edges with milk and fold the pastry in half diagonally to make a triangle, pressing and sealing it into a hand pie, crimping the edges if you like. If you’re finding it fiddly, remove a little of the filling.  (I don't use milk, and just use the prongs of a fork to press on the pastry, which seals and crimps it together nicely)

Prick the top with a fork or knife and place on the lined baking sheet, brush with the egg, and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve with raita or yogurt, Indian pickle, or mango chutney.