Empanadas

 

 

I've learned how to make empanadas and I'm so excited to share it with you.

Dough

10 cups of flour
1 cup of melted butter
2 cups of hot water
2 cups of milk
Salt to taste
1-2 beaten eggs
(for brush)

I placed the following ingredients into my wonderful Kitchen Aid Standard Mixer in lower speed: flour, salt and butter, add milk (while mixing- If you don’t have a mixer, you can mix it by hand; it will be the same, just a little bit more work). You keep mixing and add slowly milk and finish with the hot water, (pour the liquids very slowly, while mixing). You may or may not need a bit more of hot water… When the dough is not sticking on your hands any more, it’s ready to be rolled out.
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.

Make small balls, about 2 tbsp size and set side (I kept mine inside a Ziploc bag to prevent it from dryness). Then, you can work with the empanada dough balls on a very light floured surface. Roll the dough balls out into a 1/8 inch thick layer. Open one dough balls one at the time and cut it into circles with round cookie cutters or biscuit cutters. (You can use any round abject that will cut the dough).

Remove the excess dough from the cut out circle. Place your filling of choice in the center of the circle. I used meat and cheese, but you can use any kind. The filling NEEDS TO BE COOL. Never ever place a hot or warm filling into any kind of dough. Also, I prefer and it works much better if the filling is slightly dry; if the sauce is too runny, it’s hard to work with.

Carefully place the filling in a semicircle and fold it. Crimp down the edges firmly with a fork. (It has to be firm otherwise the filling will come out while baking).
If the edges won't stick together, wet your finger with a tinny bit of water and rub it along the inside edge of the dough and try again.

Brush the empanadas with the beaten eggs over one side.

After that, your empanadas are ready to be BAKE or frozen.
I always keep some in the freezer and when we feel like having a treat I just bake them... It’s very convenient.

Preheat your oven at 350 ºF - (175 º C). Prepare the cooking sheets (I use the non stick ones)and bake it until golden brown. (The time will really depends of your oven… they all vary, but it will be between 20 -30 minutes approximately or until golden brown).

Guess what? You’ve found the healthier empanada recipe that you were looking for. It’s not deep fried; it’s baked.

Also, last time I made it; I didn’t have white flour, so I used whole wheat flour. It worked well, but they came out a little heavier than when I use just white flour. (You certainly can mix both flour, having a bit more of white than whole wheat, if you wish).

Filling:

2 lbs lean ground beef or beef cubes
1 onion, peeled, minced
5 garlic cloves peeled and grated
1/4 cup olives, finely chopped (optional)
2 hardboiled eggs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 1 hour (optional)
1 tsp vinegar
2 tomatoes, peeled and seedless
4 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic in medium heat until light brown. Add the ground beef or beef cubes in and make sure it is fully cooked – until it begin to brown. If using beef cubes, it will take longer to cook. When the beef is cooked through, add in the broth, green olives, the vinegar and tomatoes. Add the raisins and bring to a simmer. Let the liquid reduce until it's almost gone. Fold in hardboiled eggs. Let it complete cool down before place it by spoonful into your prepared dough.

Cheese and Ham filling

1 cup of preferred grated cheese
1 cup of your preferred ham finely chopped
1 large seedless tomato
1 teaspoon of oregano

Mix all the ingredients together and fill your empanada dough.

Enjoy it and let me know how they turned out!