Empanadas (Beef Turnovers)

Golden half-moon pastries filled with a savoury spiced ground beef, olive and sofrito filling, deep-fried until crisp.

Ingredients

1 tbsp	15 ml	Goya extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb	225 g	ground beef
1/2 medium		yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup	60 ml	Goya tomato sauce
6		Goya Spanish olives stuffed with minced pimientos, thinly sliced
2 tbsp	30 ml	Goya sofrito
1 packet		Sazon Goya with coriander and annatto
1 tsp	5 ml	Goya minced garlic
1/2 tsp	2.5 ml	Goya dried oregano
to taste		Goya ground black pepper
1 14 oz package		Goya Discos (yellow or white), thawed
—		Goya corn oil, for frying

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more.
Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, sofrito, Sazon, garlic, oregano and black pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disco with a rolling pin until 1/2 inch larger in diameter. Spoon about 1 tbsp of the meat mixture into the middle, fold in half to form a half-moon, moisten the edges with water and pinch to seal (or seal with a fork).
Fill a deep saucepan with oil to a depth of 2 1/2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking (350°F / 175°C on a deep-fry thermometer). Fry the empanadas in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Tip: no thermometer? Dip the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick into the oil - a steady stream of bubbles means it is ready.