Pastelitos

 

Pastelitos

 

Ingredients:

 

2 pounds mixed dried fruit, like prunes, apples and apricots (I used mostly apples)

1 cup orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves or grated nutmeg

 

FOR THE CRUST

 

4 ½ cups flour

4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shortening or lard

1 tablespoon milk

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

FOR THE FILLING

 

To make the filling, combine the dried fruit and 1 1/2 cups water in a pot over medium-low heat and simmer until fruit is almost mushy, 20 to 30 minutes. Add a little water if needed during the cooking process. Working in batches if necessary, put fruit in a blender and purée until smooth. Return to the pot, add orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and cloves, then simmer over medium-low heat until thick and jam like.

To make the crust, heat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Using your fingertips, rub in the shortening or lard. Make a well in the center and add 4 to 6 tablespoons water, a small amount at a time, and work it into a dough.

Divide dough in half and roll each half on a lightly floured board to fit a shallow square or rectangular baking pan, about 9 by 12 inches. Line the pan with one sheet of pastry. Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a half-inch border. Place second sheet of pastry over the fruit mixture. Cut the pastry edges to fit inside the rim of the pan. Press the edges of pastry together to seal around the edges. Brush top with a beaten egg white. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon over the pastry. Poke holes in pastry with a fork. Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Notes:  Just a couple of things I learned while making this recipe...I decided to cook the dried fruit in my instant pot and it worked fantastic!  I pressure cooked it for 30 minutes with just the water. When it was done, I added the orange juice and spices and cooked it right in the instant pot for a few minutes more on saute, not long because it gets really hot.  Then I used my hand held blender to puree it.  If you have an instant pot, I would suggest using this method.  

Let me know your thoughts on this recipe, it is near and dear to my heart!