Cocktail hour - what’s on our minds?  

Empanadas 

•  "Empanada" comes from "empanar" which means "to wrap or coat in bread" in Spanish. 

• An innovative way to use up leftovers (this explains to me the ones that are filled with hard boiled eggs and things)

•  In Argentinian history, the empanada was once known as the working man’s meal because it contained a full meal that was easy to carry to work.

• The earliest mention of empanadas by name is in a 1520's cookbook in Catalan

• Early versions were more like a pie. 

Recipe Source

Choriqueso empanadas - Laylita's Recipes

How to make empanada dough for baking - Laylita.com

Ingredients 

Empanada Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• ¼ to 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 6 oz unsalted butter (1 stick of butter = 4 oz)

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water or milk adjust as needed to obtain a soft and smooth dough

Veggie Empanada Filling

• Veggies (Becca - yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, shallots, garlic)

• 15 empanada discs can use store-bought or make your own empanada dough for baking or for frying

• 1 egg whisked - to be used as egg wash

Chriqueso Empanadas

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

• ½ white onion finely diced – about 1 cup

• 1 lb. Mexican style fresh chorizo pork or beef based on your preference

• ½ to 1 tablespoon of ground achiote – optional

• 3 cups or 12 ounces of grated mozzarella oaxaca or monterey jack cheese

• 1 cup or 4 ounces of crumbled queso fresco

• Optional: jalapeno slices

• 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water whisked together to use as egg wash to brush on empanadas

Special Equipment 

Food Processor

Tortilla press (optional)

Steps

Empanada Dough

1. Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.

2. Add the butter and pulse

3. Add the egg and the water or milk (in small increments) and continue pulsing until a clumpy dough forms.

4. Split the dough into 2 large balls, flatten slightly into the shape of disks. 

5. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). 

6. You can also make small individual balls with the dough and roll out each individual ball to a round shape (doesn’t need to be perfectly round) – if you have a tortilla press you can use it to flatten the dough balls.

7. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator/freezer to use later.

Empanada Filling

1. Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl.

Assembling

1. Place a spoonful of the filling on the middle of each empanada disc. The amount of filling will vary based on the size of the empanada, but in general, it’s easier to seal an empanada that isn’t overstuffed. Also, the more you make empanadas, the easier it becomes to stuff them to the max and still seal them properly.

2. To seal the empanadas, fold the disc and seal the edges by pressing the dough with your fingers. If you’re having a hard time sealing the edges, you can use brush the inside edges with egg white, it will act as a glue for the empanadas. You can also use a fork to help seal the edges, just press the top of the fork against the edges. To the repulgue or churito, the curl type seal, use your fingers to twist the curl the edges. There are also empanada molds that you can buy and will help seal the empanadas.

3. For best results, I recommend refrigerating for at least 30 minutes the empanadas before baking – this also helps them seal better and prevents the filling from leaking out.

4. If you want your empanadas to have a nice golden finish, then you can brush them with egg wash (a whole egg whisked or egg yolk plus a few drops of water whisked).

Baking

1. I usually bake them at 375F-400F, the temperature will vary based on the oven and the size of the empanadas. I bake the smaller sized empanadas at 375F. 

2. The baking time also varies (again based on the oven and size), but it’s in the range of 18-25 minutes – the empanadas will be ready once they are golden.