New Recipes

Since the summer is a usually slow time for catering......I've been doing some menu adjusting and recipe testing.  A friend of mine, Freddie, was born in Puerto Rico and will regularly share some of his wife's cooking with me.  He would be quick to correct me that he is also involved in the creation of the recipes that he shares - which I have no doubt is true!

When I was with catering company we used to regularly make Empanadas. A disk of bread type pastry dough, filled with a ground meat or cheese mixture, folded over to make a puffed disk, then either deep fried or baked. They can also be filled with a sweet filling.  Most recipes for the dough of the sweet filling called for the addition of sugar to the ingredients.  Freddie shared some of what he calls Empanadillas but instead of being smaller as you might expect by the suffix to the name, they were much bigger - sandwich sized disks which he deep fries.  The seasoned meat filling is very robust in flavor to which Freddie adds sliced Spanish Olives.  To make the meat taste right, sofrito is added when the meat is being browned.  Sofrito is a mixture of onion, red and green peppers (the addition of the red pepper is my choice, not in the original recipe but I like the additional flavor), garlic, and seasonings almost pureed in a blender or food processor with some olive oil.  The sofrito can be frozen in small amounts to save for other recipes or when you next make empandas.

There are many recipes available on line for the dough.  Some call for the use of shortening only, some call for shortening and eggs.  I opted for one that used eggs thinking that it would be lighter than those using only shortening or lard.

So here's what I came up with.  I haven't seen Freddie to see what his expert opinion is but I will be making them for the next time I see him and I'll let you know what he says.

Empanadas

Ingredients

For the Dough

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

(Plus More for Handling the Dough)

1 Teaspoon Salt

1.2 Cup Cold Water

3 Tablespoons Shortening

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vinegar

For the Sofrito

1 Medium Onion – Rough Chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper – Cored, Seeded, and Rough Chopped

1 Red Bell pepper – Cored, Seeded, and Rough Chopped

1 Italian Frying Pepper – Cored, Seeded, and Rough Chopped

3 Cloves Garlic – Rough Chopped

½ Bunch Cilantro – Chopped

(If your taste buds tell you that cilantro tastes like soap, use parsley instead)

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil – More or Less

For the Meat Filling

1 lb. Ground Beef (I use the 80/20 lean to fat version for this recipe)

½ cup Sofrito

10 Spanish Olives Stuffed with Pimentos

Oil for Frying (if frying the assembled Empanadas)

In traditional Spanish recipes, olive oil is used for frying.  If you use olive oil, be careful not to heat it beyond the 375 degree mark as it will start to smoke.

Directions:       For the Dough:  Sift the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and vinegar and set aside.  Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with two knives until the flour looks like small floured pebbles.  Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients a bit at a time with a fork until the liquid is all incorporated.  Place the dough on a floured cutting board or flat surface.  Knead the dough until all of the flour is mixed in and the dough is no longer sticky.  Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for no less than an hour and not more than a day.  When you are ready to assemble the empanadas, Pull a section of the dough from the ball and roll with a rolling pin (again on a floured surface) to about 1/8 of an inch.  Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into 3 inch circles.

For the Sofrito:  Combine all ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor and pulse until completely ground together.  Add the olive oil a little at a time until the mixture resembles a wet paste. You can use ice cube trays to freeze in small amounts for later use.

For the Meat Filling:  Brown the meat in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Drain the excess grease then add the sofrito and cook until mixed completely.  When the mixture is completely cooked, set aside to rest in a mesh strainer over a bowl to allow the remainder of the grease to drip away from the meat.   

To Assemble:  If baking, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  If deep frying, heat the frying oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat to 375 degrees. Place a tablespoon or so of the filling mixture on one side of a dough circle.  Moisten the edges of the circle with water and fold the other side over to form a half moon.  Using the tines of a fork, press down along the curved edge to seal and scallop the edge.  If baking, place on a sheet pan, brush with egg wash, then place in  the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown.  If frying, carefully place up to four pieces in the oil making sure they do not stick together.  When they are golden brown and the surface of the dough is bubbly, remove the pieces to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.