Empanadas

My knowledge is on this subject is very little, but I do know what I like and what I think tastes good. We made this for Spanish class when I was in high school. Ms. Martin was my Spanish II teacher, and she had all of us bring in various dishes.  My two dishes were empanadas and chicken cilantro (look for that one soon). I couldn't find the recipe for the empanadas that we made, but I could find a recipe that was even better.  The main thing in this recipe is the dough.  The filling can be whatever you like.  Empanadas can be a meat mixture or various fruits to use as a dessert.  Here are a few options.

Empanada Dough

3 cups flour (plus more for kneading)

1 tsp. salt

½ cup cold water

1 egg

1 egg white

1 tsp. vinegar

3 Tbs. shortening

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. Prepare the work surface by lightly flouring the area where you plan to roll out the dough.

Tip: If you want to keep the dough longer than 24 hours, you can freeze it.

Place the empanada dough on a floured counter top. Roll the dough out into a 1/8 inch thick layer. Cut the dough into circles with round cookie cutters or biscuit cutters.

Tip: For large empanadas use 6 inch cutters for empanaditas use 3 inch cutters. If you don't have these handy, you can cut out the bottom of a coffee can, rinse it out, and use it as a cutter. Remove the excess dough from the cut out circle. Oddly enough, the ring for my funnel cakes works pretty well.

Place your filling of choice in the center of the circle. Carefully fold over the circle with contents into a semicircle. Crimp down the edges with a fork. If the edges won't stick together, wet your finger and rub it along the inside edge of the dough and try again.

Finish the empanadas by deep frying in vegetable oil at 360 degrees for 1 to 2 minutes per side. They should be lightly golden. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Filling Options:

I used beef, onions, garlic and cheese. I cooked the onions and garlic, browned the ground beef and seasoned to my taste.  When filling the shell, don't over fill.  Leave enough room around the edges for crimping.

I have also done this using fruit. I bought a can of apple pie filling and used that on the inside. Once the come out of the oil, sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar over them immediately.

Online, I have found recipes that involve filling with hard boiled eggs, raisins, beef, olives, etc. You can use pretty much anything you like. Browse the internet for various options.

I have included many pictures in this post that show the various steps of this process.  Be patient with the dough when rolling it out.  It can be a little tricky.

This are wonderful and I really hope you give them a shot.  A friend of mine told me that you can buy the empanada dough pre-made in the freezer sections, but I have yet to find it. Let me know if you do.  Make sure to comment and share with friends. Enjoy!

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