Empanadas

For Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk or carbonated water

For Filling:
1 lb ground beef ( turkey or chicken for a lower-fat variation)
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup stuffed green olive
handful raisins (optional. This is supposedly a common ingredient, but I have never used them)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
2 -3 tablespoons ground cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 -2 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper

Method:

Sift the flour, mix the sifted flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with oil.


Beat together the water, eggs in a bowl. Slowly mix into the flour mixture, until you have the desired consistency (it should not be too sticky, but still malleable).

Place the mixture on a floured surface. Knead with the heel of your hand to bring the dough together.

Cover the dough and allow to sit in a cool place for at least an hour.

Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch (0.3 cm) thick. Cut into circles about 4-6 inches (10 - 15 cm) in diameter and lightly flour them.

Heat some oil in a large saucepan. Mince the onions and garlic, and add to the pan. Cook until the onions become translucent.

Add the ground meat. Break it up with with a spoon and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Drain off fat.

Mix in the cumin, pepper flakes, and sugar. Adjust to taste.

Chop the hard boiled eggs and halve the stuffed olives. Carefully mix into the meat mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF/200ºC.

Stuff the empanadas dough wrappers. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Dampen the outer perimeter of the dough.

Fold over, forming a semicircle. Pinch a corner of the dough, and then fold that section onto itself. Pinch and pull out another 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) section and fold over, so that it slightly overlaps the first piece. Repeat along the length of the folded side, until you create a braided or twisted seal.

If desired, brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg yolk for a nice golden color.

Place the folded empanadas on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Bakso

Ingredients:
250 gr Beef Mince
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder/garlic paste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs salt
2 tbs tapioca starch
1 tbs corn starch
1 tsp baking powder (to make the meatball bouncy)
1 tsp baking soda (to make the meatball grow bigger)
a pinch of sugar (sugar will increase the taste)

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Mix all the mixture until well mixed. Wrap the bowl with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The most important is to make sure that the mixture is completely cold.

When the mixture is completely cold, prepare a pot. Add water, then bring to boil. After it comes to a boil, turn off the heat. Take out the mixture from the fridge. Shape it like a small ball. Directly put the ball mix into the hot water.

After all the mixture has been shaped as a ball in the hot water, turn on the stove again in medium heat, then bring to a boil. Leave to cook for about 5 minutes after it comes to a boil.

Lift the Bakso ball. Then use the water as the beef stock for the soup. Just simply add fried garlic and fried onion to the beef stock. Add a bit more of salt and sugar. When the taste is okay, put back the meatball into the beef stock.

Prepare your ball with any fillings you like (egg) or also without any filling.

Happy eating bakso!

My Lemon Sorbet (Sorbetto al limone)

for 6 person:

Ingredients:

1 Cup  sugar

1 Cup water

1 Cup lemon juice

1 heaping tablespoon of mascarpone or whipped cream

Method:

Pre-freeze a shallow dish.

Put the sugar and water into a pan and bring to a boil, then let simmer for 5 minutes. The liquid will be clear and slightly syrupy.

Take it off the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Add the lemon juice.

Add the mascarpone or whipped cream and whisk until it's all incorporated. The mixture will be milky.

Taste your syrup to see whether you need to adjust the lemon or sweetness. How much lemon juice and sugar you use will depend on your lemons.

Pour the syrup into your pre-frozen dish and put it in the freezer. Let it sit for an hour.

After an hour, stir the sorbet, forking up any frozen bits. The outside will freeze first so make sure you run your fork or spoon around the outside.

Wait another hour and stir again.

Wait another hour and stir again.

Then let it be for another hour and it's ready to serve!

The sorbet will keep in the freezer covered in plastic wrap or with a lid for 3 days before it starts to crystallize. Stirring is very important as that is what gives the sherbet a smooth texture.