• preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Gently fit 1 wonton skin into each of 36 small muffin cups, 1 3/4x1 inch, pressing against bottom and side. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. Mix remaining ingredients except sour cream.
Just before serving, spoon bean mixture into wonton cups. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon sour cream.

• preparation

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over high. Cook ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, until browned but not completely cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat in pan as possible.
Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, chopped, red bell peppers, seeded, chopped, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, stirring, until tender but not browned, 6–8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Add ground cumin, sweet paprika, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add low-sodium chicken stock or broth and reserved beef along with any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in sugar, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until most of the liquid is evaporated, 15–20 minutes; taste and season with salt and black pepper, if needed. Stir in raisins. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and chill at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Roll the pie crust to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough into 5-inch circles. Place 2 Tbsp. filling in the center of each round.
Top with 2 olive halves. Brush water around half of outer edge of each round. Pinch edges to seal.
Using a fork, crimp edges. Transfer empanada to a parchment-lined sheet tray, spacing 1" apart. Repeat with remaining rounds.
Bake empanadas until golden brown and slightly darker around the edges, 25–35 minutes.


Pie crust:

1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
1/2 pound (11/2 cups) shortening
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 beaten egg
4 tablespoons cold water
In a large bowl, mix together flour, and shortening.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, vinegar, egg, and water.
Blend all ingredients to form a ball. Add more water if necessary.
Chill dough and use as needed.

• preparation

1
Shredded beef: Cut the steak into 4 pieces.
2
Place the broth into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken at first boil and let cook for 15 minutes. Test the seasoning and alter the salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let cook for about 2 hours or until the meet is completely cooked and tender. Keep an eye on the meat to prevent it from soaking up all the broth and add more as it becomes necessary. When the meat is ready, remove it from the pot carefully and leave on a dish to cool. Save the broth, about 3-4 cups of broth.
3
Once the meat is cold enough, shred it with the help of two forks or your hands.
4
Add the oil to a medium pan and let cook a bit. Sauté the onions and pepper for 3-5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and let sauté for one more minute. Incorporate the shredded chicken to the mixture and mix well.
5
Mix the tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and oregano in with the beef stew; mix well until everything is well combined. Add this mixture to the meat and mix well. Add the bay leaves, cover and let cook for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
6
Black beans: Place the oil, onion and garlic in a blender. Mix at medium velocity until everything is well combined.
7
Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly. Add the can of black beans and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes.
8
Fried plantains: Add oil to a medium pan and heat. When the oil is hot, fry the plantains in batches of 5 for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they're softened and browned. Remove from the pan carefully and place over paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
9
Serve: Add a generous amount of shredded beef to a dish, then rice, beans and fried plantains. Serve hot.

• preparation

1
Prepare cheese by cutting into strips approximately 3/4 inch by 2 3/4 inches long.
2
Place flour on large flat surface; shape into circle with hole in center. Combine egg and butter in hole. Mix salt, sugar and cold water together in small bowl. Add mixture slowly to flour, combining everything with hands. Keep mixing and kneading until dough is no longer sticky. When ready, shape into a ball and let it rest 1/2 hour at room temperature.
3
Scatter flour on a clean, flat surface. After 1/2 hour, place dough ball on surface and roll into a square approximately 1/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the flattened dough into long uniform strips until there is one strip for each piece of cheese.
4
Place a piece of queso blanco at one end of the first strip and roll it up until it is completely covered by dough. Make sure to press any open edges together to seal cheese in the dough completely, so that it does not leak out when it is fried. Repeat this with the rest of the cheese pieces.
5
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, lower to a medium setting. Carefully, fry the tequeños until golden brown and crunchy.
6
As you remove tequeños from oil, place on pieces of paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Butter and flour a 5 cup soufflé mold. Chill until ready to use. Combine espresso with hot water, stir until dissolved. Melt chocolate in on top of double boiler. Stir in the cream and coffee.
Beat egg yolks and flour. Stir this into the chocolate. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar to a soft peak.
Gradually add the sugar, and beat egg whites to a stiff peak. Stir a 1/4 of the whites into chocolate mixture, then fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg whites, a little at a time.
Pour mixture into the prepared mold. Bake for 35 45 minutes. Serve hot with whipped cream .