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Ingredients
- 2 c. Flour
- 2 Tbsp. Sugar (optional, use only for making dessert empanadas)
- 2 tsp Baking pwdr
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/3 c. Shortening
- 1/3 c. Ice water
- 1 lb Mexican-style chorizo
- 2 med Sized potatoes, cooked, peeled, and diced
- 1/2 med Sized onion, minced
- 1 x Jalapeno chile, finely diced
- 1 x Pablano chile, minced
- 1 sm Hard tomato (roma works nice), minced Vegetable oil as needed
Directions
- With all the discussion of Cornish Pasties (pastry folded over a somewhat bland filling of meat, potatoes, turnip and onion, then baked) and all the various Northeastern U.S. versions thereof, I was kinda surprised there was no mention of empanadas, the Hispanic version of the pasty. Unlike the traditional Cornish pasty, the range of size and fillings used for empanadas allows for a lot of experimentation. Size can range from small dessert turnovers (empanaditas) filled with fruit, sweet potato, or possibly pumpkin spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, etc.) to large meat pies
- (empanada gallega) big sufficient to feed a family. Seafood, poultry, beef, pork, rice, beans, potatoes, vegetables, and even leftovers from previous meals are all acceptable fillings for empanadas.
- Picadillo is another traditional filling for empanadas. The ingredients generally include grnd beef or possibly pork, onions, tomatoes, apples, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, salt and pepper. My version of picadillo usually goes easy on the apples, raisins, cloves and cinnamon...and, I add in roasted pine nuts, minced fresh chiles, Mexican oregano, chile pwdr and crushed dry red chile.
- "Authentic Mexican" by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless includes a recipe for a Mexican empanada using flour tortilla dough formed into flat circles, filled with picadillo, folded over and sealed, then deep fried.
- Empanada Gallega (of Spanish origin, I think) is made with a bread dough which's allowed to rise, punched down and allowed to rise again, and then divided and rolled into two circles about a quarter inch thick - kinda like for making pizza. The filling is spread over one circle of dough, covered with the other circle of dough, sealed around the edge, allowed a short rest in a hot place to rise a bit, brushed with beaten egg, and then baked till golden brown.
- The empanadas I make are generally a little smaller than a Cornish pasty with spicier fillings including (not all at the same time of course) beef, pork, poultry, sausage, crab, shrimp, scallops, beans, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic, fresh chiles, whatever...and the appropriate spices to compliment my choice of ingredients. One of my favorites is empanadas made with a filling of Mexican-style chorizo and potatoes...
- Pastry: Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut in the shortening. Add in sufficient ice water to hold the dough together. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to about one eighth inch thickness. Cut the dough into 6 inch circles (3 inch for dessert empanadas).
- Chorizo y Papas: Peel the chorizo and crumble it into a skillet. Saute/fry for 10 to 15 min. Do not burn it, add in a little vegetable oil if the chorizo is on the lean side (not usually a problem with store bought chorizo). Add in the onion and chiles and saute/fry for another 5 - 10 min. Add in minced tomato and saute/fry about 5 min more, stirring as needed to keep from burning. Add in potatoes and heat through. Cold and use to fill the previously prepared pastry.
- Making the Empanadas: Spoon filling on one half of each circle of pastry, leaving the edge of the pastry without filling. Moisten the edge with water, fold the unfilled half of the circle over the filled half, press the edges together and flute with the tines of a dinner fork to seal. Brush with melted butter or possibly beaten egg. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees fahrenheit till golden brown (usually 15 to 20 min, depending on the size). Sprinkle with chile pwdr or possibly crushed dry red chile as they come out of the oven.
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