Beef Empanadas

Meat pies are ancient: Before the empanadas of Galicia there were the sanbusaj of ninth-century Persia, heralded in poetry. They took on many names as they traveled the world. Our version came from the Spanish by way of Latin America, one end of the empire reaching out to the other, and like our compatriots in Latin America, we made them ours. My family used to buy these by the tray for parties; they’re sturdy enough to last all day and delicious whether minutes out of the fryer, so hot the