Empanadas

Well it took me long enough but here I am again. As promised I told you I would be delving into my South American roots so here we go. This is a super easy recipe that I concocted from watching my step aunt Lila and my mom make Argentinian style empanadas. I did not make the dough for the empanada exterior (I promise we will get into it at a later date). I just wanted to make sure that you knew that there is an easy way to make these tasty treats so that you can enjoy them rather than feeling spent after making them. Anywhoo here is my little tutorial for how to make these delicious treats:

Ingredients:

2 Packs Goya(or insert your brand here) dough for Turnover Pastries (there are 10 in each pack - find them in the frozen food section)

Filling:

1-2 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Plum tomato (finely diced)

1/2 Large red pepper (finely diced)

3-4 Cloves of garlic (minced)

1/2 Large white/sweet onion (finely diced)

1 Green onion (finely diced)

1 TBSP fresh cilantro/coriander (finely cut)

1 tsp Cumin

2 large chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

1 Large Yukon Gold potato(cooked and cubed)

1 Hard boiled egg (chopped into very small pieces) 

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pan heat your olive oil at medium high heat. Add in all your vegetables and coat them with the oil. Saute your veggies until they have started rendering juices and the onions are starting to become translucent. 

Add the cilantro and cumin and stir to distribute them evenly. 

Add the shredded chicken breasts and potato. Stir in to distribute them evenly and to allow the vegetables and their juices to coat them.

Add the hard boiled egg to the mixture and stir to distribute evenly.

Add Salt and Pepper to suit your taste. 

Once you are happy with the taste take the pan off the heat and let it rest while you get your pastry disks lined up and ready to receive the filling. Make sure that your filling is still moist but not drenched in liquid from the vegetables as this will make it difficult for you to keep the pastry together.

Now it is time for the step by step on how to put these lovelies together. 

Place your pastry disk on the counter and spoon about 

1 1/2 TBSP at the center of the disk

Gently fold your pastry disk in half making sure to 

press the edges firmly together.

Press firmly down on the edges with a fork, 

starting at the center and moving outward

 Once you have completed these steps with all your pastry disks you are ready to either fry or bake these. I chose frying because although I like a baked empanada, there is something about frying these that makes them taste the way I remember them from earlier years in my life (yes I am older than I care to remember). 

If you choose to fry them make sure to use peanut oil/ safflower oil, something with a high heating temperature in order to make sure your home does not turn into a smoky mess. Use about 2 cups of oil in a frying pan about 9 inches in diameter at medium heat or just a little bit above this (you do not want your oil to get too hot or you will have burnt empanadas in no time). Also you want enough oil to immerse the empanadas to allow them to cook and be turned over to get them to a nice golden brown so if 2 cups is not enough for your pan, add a little more.

If you choose to bake these make sure you line your baking sheets with parchment paper and give your empanadas a nice egg wash. Turn your oven on at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the empanadas until they are a golden brown. 

Here is the final result for the fried ones

Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, there are quite a lot of different styles of empanadas so we will be having a little more fun with these as the year progresses. For now I hope you try these and that you enjoy them as much as my husband and I did.

Wonton Potato Curry Pockets - AKA Curry Puffs without the puff

These little treats are jam packed with flavor. They were inspired by Thai restaurant curry puffs which I have been wanting to make for a long time. I was trying to put together a dinner because One of my husband's cousins was coming over. I made my Thai Style chicken with the coconut curry sauce, jasmin rice and some steamed broccoli, but I was feeling like we should have a pre-diner snack, so I concocted a recipe and tried to put it together with the least amount of hassle.

For the filling:

2 TBSP butter
2 Medium Shallots (sliced thin)
2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Green onion (sliced thin)
2 large Yukon gold potatoes (Diced)
1 Large carrot (diced)
2 TBSP Mild Yellow Curry powder
1/2 Cup of water


For the pockets:

1 Pack of wonton wrappers



Recipe:


Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and green onions until the shallots become translucent and  start to caramelize. Add the potatoes and carrot and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently to prevent ingredients form burning. Add the water and curry making sure to add the curry powder slowly to prevent lumps. Cook until the water is reduced enough to make a thick gravy. 


Set the filling aside and get your wonton wrappers ready by slicing them diagonally to create triangles. Once this is done start getting your Pockets together. The pictures below show the step by step procedure on how to fold your wrappers and get them ready for frying/sauteing.

 place your wonton triangle on a flat surface

 Place about 1 teaspoon of filling 

at the center of your wonton triangle

 Make your first fold as shown above.

 Make your second fold as shown above.

 Make your third fold as shown above.

Finally tuck the last corner under to complete your triangle shaped pocket.

To cook these simply fry in a large pan with a thin layer of Safflower or canola oil until they are golden brown on both sides. Serve with either duck sauce or red chilly dipping sauce. Enjoy.