Pizza Empanada - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Dough
3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons shortening
Filling
1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 cups pizza cheese
1 1/2 cups pepperoni (diced or sliced)
oil (for frying)

Preparation

In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.
Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives.
Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.
After 1 hour, place the dough on a floured counter top. Roll it out into 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into circles with round cookie cutters or biscuit cutters. For large empanadas use 6 inch cutters for empanaditas use 3 inch cutters.
Tip: If you want to keep the dough longer than 24 hours, you can freeze it.
Filling:
Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce on the circle of dough. Do not go all the way to the edge.
Sprinkle a spoonful of shredded cheese onto the pizza sauce.
Place a couple slices of pepperoni on top of the cheese.
Fold the dough and filling into a half circle shape and crimp the edges with a fork. If the edges won't stay sealed you can dip the fork in water before crimping or use an egg wash.
Fry the filled empanadas at 360 degrees for 1 to 2 minutes per side. They should be lightly golden. Drain on paper towels.
Tip: Do not overfill the empanadas. They will tear and you will lose your filling in the oil.