Today is National Empanada Day!
Last updated on June 30th, 2022 at 12:03 pm
Have you ever tried an Empanada? Do you know what an Empanda is?
Empanadas are crescent-shaped, savory pastries made of dough and filled with a variety of ingredients. The filling varies which include anything from beef, chicken, pork, tuna, shellfish, cheese, and or vegetables, seasoned vibrantly, then baked or fried to perfection.
Although they are originally from Spain and Portugal, similar to many other foods, almost every culture has its own interpretation of the empanada.
Here’s what appears to be a delicious recipe for Empanadas from the modern proper. This is a recipe for their Beef Empanadas.
Ingredients
Shell
2 cups flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tbs salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup ice water
Filling
3/4 ground beef
3 medium-sized onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbs vegetable oil
2 tomatoes, peeled
3 cups cooked beef, chopped
1/2 cup beef stock
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Shell
- Sift together flour, sugar, egg, baking powder and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour as though you were making a pie crust by working it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle dough with just enough ice water so that it will hold together. Knead together briefly and allow to rest, covered about 10 minutes.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured board to circles about 4 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Place a spoonful of empanada filling of your choice on one side of the circle. Moisten the edges of the circle with a small amount of water and fold the dough over the filling to make a half circle.
- Press the edges together to seal. Bake at 375 degrees for 15- 20 minutes.
Filling
- Saute onions and garlic in hot oil until translucent.
- Add meat, sauté 5 more minutes. Stir in tomatoes,
stock and remaining ingredients. - Simmer 30 minutes.
