Full disclosure…at this moment, dear reader, I am narrating this blog entry in my head Lady Whistledown style. It’s been a while, but nothing can keep me away from you for long! Work has been crazy, life has been crazy. Sometimes when the world gets a bit “much” you just need comfort food (and margaritas!).
I saw these empanadas on Jennifer Garner’s Pretend Cooking Show and knew I needed to make them (and make them my own - obviously). My husband even got me the newfangled KitchenAid attachment she uses to make the pastry. Needless to say, this was an adventure on a number of levels!
Ingredients:
Pastry:
3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 TB sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
12 TB butter, cubed & chilled [I used salted butter as per usual]
1 ¼ cups ice water [measure the water then add ice]
Filling:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 lb 85% lean ground chuck
1 cup chicken broth
Cholula to taste [I used about 6-8 dashes]
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 cup shredded Mexican mix or Monterey jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
For Dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt in food processor [or KitchenAid with this attachment], ~6 secs. Scatter butter pieces over mix, pulse until coarse crumbs.
Two Methods:
Transfer to large bowl. Working with ¼ cup water at a time, sprinkle over flour mix and stir using rubber spatula, press mix against side of bowl to form dough, until no bits flour remain (you may not use all water).
Or, slowly drizzle in ice water while food processor/mixer is on low/medium speed until dough forms (you may not use all water).
Remove dough, divide into 2 pieces. Press each half into a ball, then flatten into 6in disk. Wrap disks in plastic, refrigerate until firm, not hard, ~2 hrs.
For Filling: Heat oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet until shimmering. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, ~30 secs. Add beef, break up pieces, cook until no longer pink.
Stir in broth, simmer about 8 mins until moist not wet. Off heat, stir in sugar, salt, pepper, and Cholula to taste. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic, refrigerate until completely cool, ~hour. Stir in cheese, chill until needed.
To assemble: Lightly flour area, roll dough into 18 inch circle, ~⅛ inch thick. Using 3 inch round biscuit cutter, cut 24 rounds. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet, discard dough scraps. Repeat with second disk.
Fill, seal, and shape the empanadas using roughly 1 tsp of chilled filling. Crimp edges using a fork. Whisk together egg with a splash of cold water. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake at 425° until golden brown, ~20 mins, switch and rotate halfway. Cool 5 mins.
These were a hit across the board - even my preschooler had two! I'm not joking when I say this was the least soggy pastry I've ever made. It baked perfectly and created sturdy pockets for the filling. Sorry Jennifer Garner, the filling was a bit bland as written in her recipe, but I zushed (sp?) it with extra garlic (naturally), extra cheese, and the Cholula. I served them with salad [using the lemon vinaigrette from my peach salad] and goat cheese. The goat cheese was excellent smeared on the empanadas. Next time I'd maybe mix lime juice and sour cream to make a little crema drizzle.
Rating: Excellent
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