Mini-Empanadas

I finally got my digital camera back, which means I can post again. Of course that might create the illusion that I’ve been cooking all week, which isn’t the case. This semester has been busier than the last, and I haven’t had that much time to cook. My roommate did have a Superbowl party though, so of course I had to make something. I decided to make a few kinds of appetizer sized empanadas. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera while making them, so I couldn’t get any process pictures, but Laylita’s Recipes, from whom I got the recipe for the dough, has some great instructions. I decided to go with 4 kinds of filling, 3 savory and 1 sweet. With the assistance of my friend Jessica, who was instrumental in rolling out the dough and stuffing the empanadas, we made spinach and goat cheese, tomato, basil and mozzarella, chicken and vegetables, and rocky road. To top the first three I also made salsa verde. I thought the savory ones were good, but the rocky road was a little weak, they probably would have been better warm.

Basic Empanada Dough

Makes 25-30 small empanadas

3 cups all purpose flour 

¼ teaspoon salt 

6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 

12 pieces 

1 egg 

4-5 tbs water

1. Place flour and salt in a food processer. Mix to blend. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a clumpy dough forms

2. Push the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

3. When you’re ready to use them, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut out circles that are 4 -5 inches in diameter

 

Spinach and Goat Cheese filling

Makes ~20 empanadas

5 oz. goat cheese 

10 oz. spinach (fresh and wilted or frozen and thawed) 

2 tsp garlic powder 

½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg                                                       

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella filling

Makes ~35 small empanadas

2 cups freshly shredded, part skim mozzarella 

2 10.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, drained 

1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped 

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 

Chicken and Vegetable filling

Makes ~ 25 small empanadas

1 grilled chicken breast, cut into small pieces 

½ green pepper, diced 

½ medium onion, very finely diced 

½ cup frozen corn 

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined, and very finely diced 

2 cloves garlic, very finely diced 

1 tsp chili pepper 

½ tsp chipotle pepper powder 

½ tsp cumin

1. Mix all ingredients but the chicken in a frying pan set over medium-high heat. Spray with a little cooking oil and stir fry for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken and cook just until heated through. Remove from heat.

 

Rocky Road Filling

2 cups mini-marshmellows 

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 

6 oz. chopped pecans.

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 

Assembly

Dough disks 

Filling 

1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water

1. Lay out the disks of dough, and place between 2 tsp and 1 T filling onto each disk.

2. Fold the disks over on themselves and press together the edges. You might want to use the tines of a fork to press into the dough

3. Brush each empanada with the egg wash (for sweet empanadas sprinkle sugar over the top).

4. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the dough is browned.