Tidbits of Happy

Fiesta!: Empanadas

22 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment

by Trina in food traditions, leftovers, recipe Tags: empanada dough, empanadas, picadillo, recipe, using leftovers

Empanadas, stuffed bread or pastries, are the ultimate international food.  Nearly every Latin country has its own variety of empanada.  Many non-Latin food cultures also have a variation . . . think of the Italian calzones, the Cornish pasties, and the German bierocks that I remember fondly from my great-grandmother’s kitchen.

I particularly like empanadas for two reasons, other than their ease of preparation:  (1)  I can use up leftovers, and (2) they freeze really, really well.  As I am a fan of batch cooking and am just dipping my toes into the concept of once a month cooking, I like that I can make a lot of a favorite dish for later on down the line.

Empanadas can be either sweet or savory.  The dough is quite easy to make, or you can use refridgerated pie crust or pizza dough.  All-in-all, this is one recipe (or method) that I return to again and again.  First, I’ll give a basic dough recipe that can be done in the food processor, and then I’ll give the recipe for the most popular filling from my kitchen.

Ingredients (dough)

3 cups all purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 oz unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cold and cut into 12 pieces; 1 egg; 4-5 Tablespoons water

Directions (dough)

Mix the flour and salt in the food processor.  Add in the butter, egg and water until a clumpy dough forms.  Remove from processor, form a ball and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Roll the dough into a thin sheet and cut out circles for your empanadas.  (Use a small plate or circular molds.)

This dough recipe is enough for 15 medium or 25 small empanadas.

Ingredients (Beef Picadillo Filling)

1 lb ground beef; 2 small potatoes, small diced and boiled until fork tender; 1 small onion, chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 1/2 cup beef broth; 1/4 cup green olives, finely chopped; 1 small jalapeno or serrano pepper, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions (Beef Filling)

Saute the onions and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat for about a minute.  Add the ground beef and brown.  Once the ground beef is thoroughly cooked, drain any excess fat from the ground beef, and add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, and black pepper.  Mix thoroughly.  Add the green olives, jalapeno, and broth.  Bring to a simmer and then let the liquid reduce until it is nearly gone.  Fold in the potatoes.  Allow the meat mixture to cool.

Assembling and Baking the Empanadas

Preheat the oven to 400.  (Or, if you don’t use the dough recipe provided here, follow the baking directions for whichever dough you use.)

Place the filling by spoonful in the prepared empanada circles.  Use a bit of water to wet the edges of the circle, fold over into a pocket.  Twist and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers, as a final step use a fork to press down and finish sealing the empanadas.  You can lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with a whisked egg yolk to give them a golden glow.

Rest the empanadas in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Bake the empanadas for about 25 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature with your favorite salsa, chimichurri, or other dipping sauce.