This is the second time I’ve made empanadas. The first time I thought I’d make them healthier and bake them. Even though the filling was delicious, the end product didn’t taste right. So, as with anything I do in the kitchen, failure is not an option. I dusted myself off and tried again. Thanks to a recipe book that Goya puts out, I ended up with a fantastic beef filling and toyed around with the dough, which came out OK. The empanadas cracked and I believe because my dough was too dry.
Dough
3 cups fine yellow corn meal
1 c hot beef stock
2 1/2 cups hot water
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
Mix corn meal, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour hot stock and water and stir to mix and moisten. Let the dough sit while you make the beef filling.
Ground Beef Filling
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp adobo seasoning (recipe below)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 c pitted spanish olives with pimentos, chopped
1- 8oz can tomato sauce
1 packet sazon
Heat oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown ground beef and season with adobo. Stir in onion, pepper, garlic, olives, tomato sauce and sazon. Cook, stirring often until most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool slightly.
Dough should be very moist, but not stick to your fingers. Grab a small fistful of dough (about 2-3 TBSP) and roll it in your hand into a golf ball size. Flaten it with your hand and place between two sheets of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll into a 4-inch circle. Spoon about a tablespoon of the beef filling on one half of the disk, then fold the other half over the mixture, using the parchment paper, making a half moon shape. Seal the edge with your fingers. Trim any excess dough with a knife. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a moist towel to prevent the patties from drying out.
Fill a sauté pan with corn oil, about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Heat until oil reaches a temperature of 350ºF. Fry empanadas about 2 minutes per side or until evenly browned. Drain on paper towels to get rid of excess oil.
Keep warm in a 200ºF oven on a cookie sheet. Serve with aji sauce.
Aji Sauce
4 tomatillos, skins removed and washed
5 scallions, chopped
1/2 c cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 limes. juiced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Boil the tomatillos for 10 minutes. Combine tomatillos, cilantro, scallions and jalapeno in a food processor and pulse until liquefied.
Place liquid in a bow and stir in lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Serve hot or cold.
Adobo Seasoning
3 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. onion power
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
Mix all spices together and store in an air tight container.
*Beef filling recipe provided by Goya with slight alterations
Leave a Comment