Empanadas

I was planning to make another recipe from the Korean BBQ book but Charlie found a recipe for Puerto Rican Empanadas and he loves those so I made them today instead. I normally dislike making fiddy things like these.  My dislike comes from the memory of when we had our restaurant and we'd spend hours making hundreds and hundreds of mandu.  But there were only ten of these so it was not so bad.  I only made enough dough for 10 empanada shells but there was filling left over so I made another four using soft taco shells.  I bet they would have been good in egg roll wrappers too.   When it came to making the sofrito, I decided I did not want to make a whole bunch of that for just 2 tablespoons in the recipe so I got two tablespoons of a thick salsa and added a clove of minced garlic and a couple sprigs of cilantro instead.  Charlie said they were really good. 

PUERTO RICAN PICADILLO 

Prep time10 mins  Cook time20 mins  Total time30 mins

Puerto Rican beef hash seasoned with sofrito. Great with rice, or as a filling for empanadas, papas rellenos and tacos!

Author: Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 heaping tablespoons sofrito
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) canned tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons Spanish olives, chopped
• 1 teaspoon adobo
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash of dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed small

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large frying pan, brown ground beef over medium heat. Add sofrito and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, adobo, garlic powder and oregano. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. The flavors should be robust.
3. Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

January 16, 2014 By Rebekah

EMPANADAS

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for Picadillo
• 1 package empanada shells, thawed (I use Goya Discos found in the frozen section)
• OR you can make your own empanada dough
• Oil, for frying

Directions

Separate empanada shells and roll over with a rolling pin. Fill half of disk with about 2 tablespoons of  picadillo, leaving a half-inch rim around the edge. Fold dough over filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal well. Fry in hot oil a few at a time, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until crust is golden brown and bubbly.

Yield: 10 empanadas

EMPANADA DOUGH

 Prep time15 minsTotal time15 mins

Make empanadas at home from scratch with this easy empanada dough recipe! With just a few ingredients, this post will show you how to make empanada dough, which is ideal for frying with sweet or savory fillings. It can also be frozen like Goya empanada dough discos for use at a later time.

Author: Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget

Serves: 10-12

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 cup ice cold water

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the shortening until the flour resembles chunky sand.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour and add vinegar and about 3/4 cup of the water. Stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Add remaining water a tablespoon at a time if all the flour has not been moistened.
3. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead into a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days if not using immediately.
4. Divide dough into 2-10 pieces (whatever is easiest to work with) and roll out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter or tracing a bowl with a knife.
5. Discs can be filled immediately and cooked. If not using immediately, stack on top of each other with a piece of parchment or wax paper between each pastry. Place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 1 day or freeze.
6. If using from frozen, allow to thaw at room temperature for about 10-20 minutes before proceeding to recipe.

NOTES

The amount of empanadas will vary depending on size. This dough will produce about 10-12 5-inch discos.

Sofrito

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds plum tomatoes
  
• 2 red bell peppers
  
• 2 medium yellow onions
  
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  
• 1 bunch cilantro, large stems trimmed
  
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

DIRECTIONS

• 1.
  Coarsely chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Combine with garlic and cilantro. In batches, pulse mixture in a food processor until finely chopped. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced, 25 to 30 minutes (reduce heat if browning at edge). To store, let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container; refrigerate, up to 2 weeks, or freeze, up to 6 months.