Pastelitos de carne

Pastelitos de carne are traditional Cuban meat patties. If you’ve even been to a Cuban party you’ve probably seen them. They tasty little meat patties filled with Picadillo (beef hash), or some type of minced meat. Cuban bakeries sell them as well. If you don’t have access to a bakery that sells them you can make your own. They are very easy to make. I make them for parties. They are definitely a crowd pleaser. The main 2 ingredients that you’ll need are Puff pastry dough & ground beef. I use Pepperidge Farms Puff pastry dough. You can find them in the frozen food section with the pastries. As for the ground beef if you don’t eat beef you can use any type of ground meat. Chicken is also great. I fill the Puff pastries with Picadillo. Picadillo is a traditional Cuban beef hash. This will be your filler. This dish is also popular in other Latino countries such as Puerto Rico and countries such as the Philippines. 

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Ingredients : 

 • Puff pastry sheets 

 • 1 lb ground beef or turkey 

 • 2 tablespoons of olive oil

 • 1 medium onion, diced

 • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

 • ½ bell pepper, diced

 • 1/2 red pepper diced 

 • 1 tablespoon ground cumin

 • 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut in small   pieces

 • Raisins (optional)

 • 1/2  cup dry red or white  wine

 • ½ cup whole green olives, stuffed w/ pimentos

 • 16 ounces of tomato sauce (2 8 oz cans)

 • Salt and pepper to taste

Egg wash:

1 egg

1/4 cup water

Glaze (Simple syrup) :

 • 1/4 cup 

 • 1 cup water 

Instructions

 1. In a medium-size frying pan, brown the ground beef with a dash of cumin and pepper, drain off any excess grease, and set aside.

 2. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbs of olive oil over med-low heat and cook the diced onion until soft

 3. Add the chopped garlic and cook until almost golden.

 4. Mix in the bell pepper, cumin, pepper and a little salt – not too much as the olives and capers are salty.

 5. Add the potatoes pieces and cook for about 5 minutes.

 6. Add the ground beef and the wine, let the liquid reduce.

 7. Add tomato sauce when the potatoes are about half-cooked 

 8. Cook for 5 more minutes and then add the olives 

 9. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are ready. If the sauce thickens too much, you can add some more wine or a little bit of water. Taste and adjust any seasonings: salt, pepper, cumin or additional olives.

10. Use a Puff pastry sheets and cut a circle with a glass to form a circle. 

11. Add a spoonful of Picadillo, add water to the edges. Put a top layer on top and squeeze the edges together. 

12. Brush egg wash over top. This will give a golden color to your Pastelitos. Put air vents on top with a fork or knife. 

13. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Every oven is different. You may have to bake it a little longer to get the golden color. 

14. Make a glaze to brush on top. Add 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water to a pot. Boil until you get a semi thick syrup. Brush the glaze (Simple syrup) over top of the Pastelitos to give them a pretty