Cuban Sandwich Empanada

Recipes from 12/16/17 by Chef Michelle Bernstein

Empanada Dough for Baking

3 cups flour
1 egg yolk
½ cup shortening (or lard)
¾ cup warm milk (NOTE: have an additional ¼ cup milk on hand, if needed)
pinch of salt
 
Place the flour into a medium bowl.  Heat the milk and shortening in a small pan.  Pour over the flour, add the egg yolk and salt.  Mix until well combined and knead the dough 3 to 4 times.  Wrap in plastic, allow to rest in the refrigerator for an hour.  Pinch off 1½-inch balls of dough and roll into discs.  Fill the dough with desired filling.  Brush the edges with egg wash and fold over the dough to seal it.  Crimp the edges as desired and bake in a preheated, 350˚F oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown
 

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Recipe

16 slices deli ham, sliced about 1/8-inch thick (honey maple or other sweet variety)
Slices of Swiss cheese, sliced 1/8-inch thick
2-3 cups roasted pork (recipe below)
2-3 dill pickles, sliced in ¼-inch thick rounds
Yellow mustard
 
Roast Pork
6-8 pounds boneless pork shoulder
 
Mojo
8 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh oregano
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
 
Combine all ingredients.  Marinate the pork overnight in the mojo.
 
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 275˚F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Place pork and juices on top and cover tightly with more foil.
Place in the oven and roast for 3 hours.  Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 325˚F, and continue roasting, basting pork with pan juices occasionally, until pork shows almost no resistance when a metal skewer or knife is inserted into it and the surface is crackly and brown, 2 to 3 hours longer.  Remove pork from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Shred the pork.
 
Using a round of rolled out empanada dough, begin layering a piece of honey baked ham, Swiss cheese, about 1-1½ tablespoons shredded pork, some yellow mustard, some pickles and another slice of ham right over the top. Brush the edges with egg-wash and fold over the dough to seal it. Crimp the edges as desired and bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.