Beef Empanadas

Ingredients

• 1  bay leaf 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 0.8 pound ground beef 
• 0.5 cup onion chopped
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 30 servings sweet potato pastry 
• 3 medium tomatoes peeled chopped
• 30 servings vegetable oil 

Equipment

• frying pan
• baking sheet
• paper towels
• sieve
• plastic wrap

Directions

1. Press tomatoes through a sieve. Set tomato pure aside.
2. Saut onion in butter in a heavy skillet over low heat until tender.
3. Add meat, salt, pepper, and bay leaf; cook over medium heat until meat is browned, stirring to crumble.
4. Drain off pan drippings.
5. Add tomato pure to meat mixture; cook, uncovered, over low heat 35 minutes,
6. Remove from heat, and discard bay leaf.
7. Roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a sheet of plastic wrap; cut with a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.
8. Place 1 teaspoon meat mixture in center of each circle. Moisten edges of pastry with water. Fold pastry in half. Press edges together with fork tines to seal.
9. Place turnovers on a baking sheet; cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
10. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 375 in a large skillet. Cook several turnovers at a time 4 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Drain turnovers on paper towels.
12. Serve hot.