Pastelitos

My mother was having a Mexican themed birthday party for 2 of her friends so I needed to bring a Mexican dish.  There is an awesome Puerto Rican restaurant in Buffalo and that my boyfriend and I love to go to.  We had recently gone and had the most delicious pastelitos!  When my boyfriend found out about the party he instantly wanted to make pastelitos.  We had a lot of fun making them and formed an assembly to get the 30 we made completed.  They are quite easy to make and well worth it when you are done!

Pastelitos

3 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained
3 pkgs taco seasoning
2 bags of shredded taco-style cheese
3 pkgs (10 each) orange empanada shells
flour
2-3 containers of vegetable or canola oil

Special utensils
rolling pin

Ground beef until no longer pink; drain.  Follow directions on taco seasoning mix and add to meat.  Allow to cool.  Place flour down on cooking surface.  Roll out empanada shell until thin but not breaking.  Add taco meat followed by cheese.  Fold empanada shell over and crimp edges with a fork to seal.  Heat oil in large pot.  Place pastelito in oil and fry until bubbly, crispy and floating on top.  Remove and let cool.  Serve with salsa or sour cream if desired!

                                        *my sister enjoying some pastelito fun!

These pastelitos came out great!  They were larger than expected due to the size we rolled out the empanada.  They were full of flavor and a great finger food.  The outside was crispy and delicious!  You can add whatever filling you like to make these pastelitos.  We made a few with the leftover chicken mixture my mom had made from her enchiladas.  There are a good recipe to make with kids as they will be able to help out!  If you have a deep fryer, you can also cook these in that as well.  Empanada shells can be found at Tops in the Goya freezer section.  We hope you enjoy these as much as we did!  Enjoy!