Abuelitas Empanadillas Recipes

ARGENTINEAN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Sift the flour, mix the sifted flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Mix in the solid margarine or butter with your fingers, (best to cross cut with two knives). The flour should have an even, coarse texture, with the margarine lumps no larger than a pea.
• Beat together the water, eggs, and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly mix into the flour mixture, until you have the desired consistency (it should not be too sticky, but still malleable).
• Place the mixture on a floured surface. Knead with the heel of your hand to bring the dough together.
• Cover the dough and allow to sit in a cool place for at least an hour.
• Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch (0.3 cm) thick. Cut into circles about 4-6 inches (10 - 15 cm) in diameter and lightly flour them.
• Heat some oil in a large saucepan. Mince the onions and garlic, and add to the pan. Cook until the onions become translucent.
• Add the ground meat. Break it up with with a spoon and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Drain off fat.
• Mix in the cumin, pepper flakes, and sugar. Adjust to taste.
• Chop the hard boiled eggs and halve the stuffed olives. Carefully mix into the meat mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF/200ºC.
• Stuff the empanada dough wrappers. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Dampen the outer perimeter of the dough.
• Fold over, forming a semicircle. Pinch a corner of the dough, and then fold that section onto itself. Pinch and pull out another 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) section and fold over, so that it slightly overlaps the first piece. Repeat along the length of the folded side, until you create a braided or twisted seal.
• If desired, brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg yolk for a nice golden color.
• Place the folded empanadas on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

APRICOT-FILLED EMPANADITAS

Steps:

• Place the dried apricots and 1 1/2 cups of water into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.
• In the container of a blender or large food processor, combine the apricots with any remaining water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Cover, and puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Pour 1 cup of water into a large bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand for about 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Mix in the shortening and salt. Gradually mix in the flour using a sturdy spoon until the dough is stiff enough to knead on a floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Do not set aside the dough to rise.
• Roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into circles with a large biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter. Spoon about a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the circles, and fold over. Seal the edges by pressing with your fingers.
• Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep heavy skillet over medium-high heat, or to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Fry the pastries in the hot oil, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

PICADILLO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, drop in the tomato and boil 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool 5 minutes, then peel and puree in a blender until smooth; set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the onion, carrot, olives, raisins and the pureed tomato. Simmer until thick, about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Beat the egg with 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl; set aside. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Working with 1 sheet of puff pastry at a time, unfold on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch square, about 1/4 inch thick, using a floured rolling pin. Cut into four 5-inch squares. Place 1/4 cup of the picadillo mixture in the center of each square. Brush the edges with the egg wash and fold diagonally to form a triangle. Crimp the edges with a fork.
• Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheet and brush with the remaining egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

ABUELITA'S EMPANADILLAS

Steps:

• Brown meat well; drain fat. Add capers, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and vinegar; stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. If making hand made dough, see step 6 below. If using wonton wrappers, go to step 2.
• For each empanadilla, place 1 teaspoon meat mixture in the center of one wonton wrapper. Fold in half to form a triangle, sealing edges with the flour paste. You may also crimp the edges with a fork for an authentic Caribbean appearance.
• Make all the empanadillas before starting to fry them, as they cook very quickly.
• Heat oil at least 1 inch deep in heavy skillet, to deep-fry temperature, about 365-370°F. Keep oil hot. Fry a few at a time in the hot oil, turning once, until golden on both sides. It takes about 1-2 minutes on each side; the wonton wrappers take even less time. They will puff up. Drain on paper towels.
• If meat filling runs out before the wonton wrappers, place a small cube of cheese (about 3/4-inch size) in the wrapper in place of the meat. Cook as directed above.
• TO MAKE HAND MADE DOUGH: Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water, and stir quickly with a fork until a ball of dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead just a few times on a well-floured surface. To make empanadillas, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a large marble, and roll into a very thin circle about 3-4 inches in diameter. Then proceed with filling as in step 2.
• Makes about 60 appetizers, or serves 6-8 people as a main dish.