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The Pastel Mandi'o is a meat hand pie (empanada), traditional in Paraguay. What makes this hand pie singular is that the dough is made with cornmeal and mashed cassava.
Dough Ingredients:
2 pounds of cassava
1 egg
1 to 1¼ cups cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups frying oil
Filling Ingredients:
1½ pounds lean ground beef
3 scallions
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
½ habanero pepper
½ sweet bell pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 diced hardboiled egg
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To prepare the filling, mince scallions, onions, garlic, habanero and bell pepper. To a medium-sized pan, add the olive oil and begin to brown the ground beef. Add the garlic first and fry with the beef for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes and add the diced hardboiled egg. Set aside to cool. Begin the preparation of the dough by cooking the cassava. In a large pot, add the ½ teaspoon salt to 2 cups water, and add the cassava peeled and cut into 1½-inch to 2-inch discs. Once the water boils, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the cassava until soft. This takes approximately 40 minutes. When the cassava is soft to the touch, remove from heat and drain. Mash the cassava with a potato masher or a fork. Once all of the cassava is mashed, add the egg, and knead to form a soft dough. Slowly incorporate 1 cup of the cornmeal into the dough as you knead. Make balls of dough about 1¼ inch in diameter. Now sprinkle your cutting board with cornmeal, and roll out a ball of dough with a rolling pin. Form the round of dough to about 5 inches in diameter. Add filling to the round (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons), moisten the edges of the dough, and seal. You can use the repulgue technique to seal the empanada or you can use a fork. Repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough. Once all the hand pies have been formed, heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees in an electric frying pan, or in a pan over a burner. If you're not using an electric frying pan, use a candy thermometer to take the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees. Fry until golden.
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