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Tiny Deep-Fried Spiced-Beef Turnovers
(Turcos)
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| What You Need: |
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PASTRY
6 cups unsifted flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ cups vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch bits
1 to 1¼ cups ice water
FILLING
½ pound lean top round beef, trimmed of excess fat.
2 tablespoons lard
½ cup finely chopped onions
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 medium-sized firm ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped (see chile con queso)
½ cup finely chopped sweet green bell peppers
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup finely chopped raisins
Vegetable oil for deep frying
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| How To Cook: |
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1. First prepare the pastry in the following manner: Combine the flour, 1½ teaspoons of salt and the shortening in a deep bowl and, with your fingertips, rub the flour and fat together until the mixture resembles flakes of coarse meal.
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2. Pour in 1 cup of the ice water all at once and mix with your fingers or a fork until the dough can be gathered into a compact ball. If the dough seems crumbly, add up to ¼ cup more ice water by the teaspoonful until the particles adhere. Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
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3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Freeze the beef for 10 to 15 minutes, oruntil it is firm but not solidly frozen. With a large sharp knife, cut thebeef into 1/8-inch-thick slices and then into 1/8-inch dice.
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4. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, melt the lard over moderate heatuntil it is very hot but not smoking. Add the onions, celery and garlic and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes. When the vegetablesare soft but not brown, stir in the diced beef, the tomatoes, bell peppers, sugar, cumin, red pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt.
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5. Stirring frequently, cook a over moderate heat until almost all of the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Add the pecans and raisins, mix well, and taste for seasoning. Set a the filling aside to cool to room temperature.
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6. Cut off about one fourth of the pastry dough, shape it into a ball and re-turn the rest to the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the ball of dough into a rough circle about 1/8 inch thick.
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7. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glas, cut the dough into 2½-inch rounds. Gather the scraps of dough into a ball, roll it out as before and cut as many more 2½-inch rounds as you can.
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8. To shape each turco, moisten the edges of a pastry round with a finger dipped in cold water. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of the round and fold the two sides together to make a tiny half-moon-shaped turnover.
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9. Crimp the edges with your fingers or with the tines of a fork. Repeat the procedure until all of the dough has been rolled, cut and shaped into turnovers. At this stage, the pastries may be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for a day or so, or frozen for up to three months.
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10. To fry the tureos, pour vegetable oil into a deep fryer or large heavy saucepan to a depth of about 3 inches and heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 375 on a deep-frying thermometer. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Line one or more jelly-roll pans with a double thickness of paper towels and place them in the oven.
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11. Deep-fry four or five tureos at a time, turning them about with a slotted spoon for about 5 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden brown. As they color, transfer the turcos to the lined pan and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the rest.
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12. Arrange the turcos on a heated platter and serve immediately.
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| To make about: 10 dozen turnovers |
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(4.0)
