Empanadas

I had a really rough week at work. My highlight was getting reamed out by a wacko parent about something that I didn't do because I wasn't even there. The nurse didn't do anything wrong either, heaven forbid we send a sick child home!

Okay, brief as it was...enough of that! I really needed to post something, it's been awhile. I've been trying new things lately, and I've been having fun. My husband said he's been enjoying it too, I don't know about my daughter. She did like the empanadas though!

I've made empanadas before, but I usually use the pre made dough. This time I made my own dough. The taste was good, but they are not as pretty as they should be. ( I almost didn't post any photos.) I used the dough recipe from Epicurious for the ingredients, but use a food processor to make it. I liked this dough because it doesn't have lard in it, which is the more authentic version. The filling I just used what I had on hand and what I liked, sorta winged it.

Dough

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Preparation:

Mix the flour, butter and salt in food processor, hit the pulse button a couple of times, until you get pea size coarse meal.

Add the egg, vinegar and water. Pulse until well mixed and form into 2 discs and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). I use a bowl to cut out the circles. (of course it doesn't look like I used circles at all)

The filling I used this time!

1 lb ground pork
1/4 C chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp cumin
1 T paprika (I used smoked)
1 T New Mexico chili powder (you can use jalapenos if you prefer)
2 t marjoram
2 t adobo seasoning
1/4 C chopped Spanish olives
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Of course you can adjust the amounts to your taste.

Brown the ground pork in a heavy sauce pan, add onions, garlic and seasoning, stirring until done. Let cool . Add the cheese after it has cooled.


To assemble the empanadas add a spoonful of the meat mixture on the center of each dough circle.
Brush the edges of the empanada discs with the egg mixture, you can also use water.
Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges gently with your fingers, 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.
Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg wash; this will give them a nice golden glow when they bake.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden.
Serve with chimichurri sauce, sour cream or other dipping sauces.
I didn't get any photos of the process, I wasn't thinking about posting it.

There are so many fillings you can use to make empanadas. Chicken, chorizo, mushroom, cheese. Not to mention the sweet fillings. Another nice snack, or lunch. You can eat them warm, at room temperature,( or even cold as I have eaten the before)

Let me know what your favorite empanada is.