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These homemade empanadas are made in a flaky pie crust, then filled with a delicious beef center. This Empanada Is great for an appetizer, or you can make a complete meal with them by added rice and beans. I first fell in love with Empanada when I went to school in California, and I first had it at college. It was a Vender outside of the Campus bookstore selling them, and I have not had them nor even heard of them before that day. One of my friends told me how tasty they were and how they are perfect foods for when you are on the go. I had 15 minutes before my next class started, I did not have time to go to the cafeteria, it was a long distance from my classroom, so I decided to give it a try and do you know I fall in love with these fantastic little dough treats. So, whenever I go to a Spanish or Cuban restaurant, I will always order the Empanada.
A couple of weeks ago, The Hubby and I made homemade Empanadas. I purchased some equipment that helped us quickly prepared the Empanadas. I will link all the devices I used to make them below, but tomorrow is National Empanada Day, and I thought I would share my recipe for a fantastic Flaky, meaty dish. Before I get into the recipe, I like to give you the history of how Empanada came about.
History of Empanadas
An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked.
or fried in many countries of Latin America and
the south of Europe. The name comes from the
verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in
bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or
bread patty around the stuffing. The stuffing can
consist of a variety of meats, vegetables, or even.
fruits.
Empanadas have their origins in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal. They first appeared in
Medieval Iberia during the time of the Moorish invasions. A cookbook published in
Catalan in 1520 mentions empanadas filled with seafood among its recipes of
Catalan, Italian, French, and Arabian food. It is believed that empanadas and the
very similar calzones are both derived from the Arabic meat-filled pies, samosas.
In Galicia and Portugal, an empanada is prepared similarly to a large pie which is cut.
in pieces, making it a portable and hearty meal for working people. The filling of a
Galician and Portuguese empanada usually includes tuna, sardines or chorizo, but
can contain codfish or pork loin. The meat or fish is commonly in a tomato, garlic
and onion sauce inside the bread or pastry casing. Due to the large number of
Galician immigrants in Latin America, the empanada gallega has also become
popular in that region.
The dish was carried to Latin America and the Philippines by Spanish colonists,
where they remain extremely popular to this day.
FOR THE DOUGH
2 1/2 cup.
all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tsp.
kosher salt
1 tsp.
baking powder
1/2 cup
cold unsalted butter cut into cubes.
3/4 c.
water
1
large egg
FOR THE BEEF FILLING
1 tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
1
yellow onion, chopped.
1
purple Onion, Chopped.
2
cloves garlic, minced.
1/2 cup
chopped pickled jalapeños or fresh jalapenos.
1lb.
ground beef
1 tbsp.
tomato paste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup.
chopped tomatoes.
1 Packet Sazon
1 1/4 cup.
shredded Cheddar
1 1/4 cup.
Shredded Monterey Jack
Ok, now that you know the history, let us start by making the dough.
Start making your dough—first, pulse 2½ cups of flour with one teaspoon of salt in a food processor.
Now add ½ cup 1 stick of COLD cubed (unsalted butter). You want the butter to be fresh out of the refrigerator. Cold butter creates flaky layers!
Pulse 15 times until the butter is approximately pea-sized or a little larger. You want to see chunks of butter here. It will break down a little further when the liquid is added. The butter pieces create delicious flaky layers when the cold butter hits the hot oven.
Now you want to mix one egg, ⅓ cup ice water, and one tablespoon of vinegar. Add to the food processor and pulse 6–8 times. The dough will look a combination of sandy & fuzzy—this is how you know you are making it correctly!
Bringing the dough together
Dump the mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap.
And then, use the plastic wrap to form the mixture into a rectangle (this will make it easy to divide later). Do you See the white chunks of butter? That is a perfect thing for creating the flaky dough!
Now Wrap up the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Forming the Dough
Now you want to Divide the dough into 10 pieces using a knife.
Roll each piece into a ball.
Casually dust a flat surface with flour (I used a Silicone Pastry Baking Mat; a clean countertop works well, too).
How to Form your Empanadas:
Refrigerate the dough circles for 15 minutes so they are easier to form.
Lightly moisten the outer edge of a dough round with water and place about two tablespoons beef filling in center and top with cheddar and Monterey.
Bring the bottom edge of the circle to the top edge and press gently with your indexed finger.
To seal your empanadas, you could either crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers. But if you are not into the hard labor like me, then I suggest using a Dough Press like I did to make these yummy empanadas.
Refrigerate the empanadas for 20 minutes.
Place empanadas on prepared baking sheets and brush with egg wash. Bake until golden and filling is warmed through bake for 20–25 minutes at 400°F.
FOR AIR FRYER
Follow all the steps above: With preparing the Empandas
Place empanadas in a parchment-lined Air Fryer basket, making sure they do not touch, and cook in batches at 400° for 10 minutes.
