Cheese And Poblano Empanadas Recipes

POBLANO CREAM CHEESE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and poblanos until well incorporated. Season the filling with salt and pepper.
• Unfold 1 sheet puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 5-inch diameter cutter, cut out 4 circles. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet. Spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture in the center of each round. Brush the edge of each circle with egg wash and fold each empanada into a half moon. Crimp the edges with a fork.
• Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheet and brush them with the remaining egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

EMPANADAS DE QUESO CON RAJAS (POBLANO CHILE AND CHEESE EMPANADAS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place poblano directly on the grates of a gas stove. Cook over medium heat, flipping with tongs occasionally, until blackened and charred, about 5 minutes. Place in a sealed plastic bag and allow to cool, 7 to 8 minutes. Peel off charred skins, remove seeds, and cut flesh into 1-inch squares.
• Place 1 1/2 tablespoons Manchego cheese onto each empanada disc. Top each with 1/2 tablespoon poblano peppers. Fold dough over on top of filling to close. Wet fingers with water and run them along the edges to help seal. Press edges together. Place empanadas on the prepared baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 24 to 26 minutes.

CHEESY POBLANO SLIDERS

Steps:

• Roast the poblanos over an open flame or under the broiler, turning as necessary, until charred all over, about 8 minutes. Place in a medium bowl and cover with a plate to steam and loosen the skin, about 5 minutes. When cooled, peel off the blackened outer skin, remove the seeds and stems and discard. Slice the poblanos into thin strips. Set aside.
• Set an oven rack as close as possible to the broiler. Heat the broiler to high.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until slightly softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the poblanos and cook until everything is very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the crema and Oaxaca cheese and cook until the cheese is just melted. Reduce the heat to low, season with 1 teaspoon salt and keep warm.
• Combine the melted butter, chipotle powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Split the slider buns, put on a baking sheet cut-side up and brush evenly with the butter mixture. Broil until golden around the edges, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.
• Place the beef patties on the baking sheet and season generously with salt and pepper. Broil to desired doneness, about 4 minutes for medium.
• Put a patty on each bottom bun. Spoon some of the poblano sauce over each and top with a tomato slice and cilantro leaves. Close the sliders with the top buns.

CHEESE AND POBLANO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• The poblano peppers can be roasted on the grill, in the oven under the broiler, or over the flame on a gas stove. I recommend grilling as the first option, place the peppers on a hot grill and grill on each side until they are blackened or charred. Next best option is to place them on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler (set to high) and roast on each side until charred. For the stove stop method, my least favorite because the fumes can be strong, use thongs to hold the poblano peppers and place them close to the flame, turn until they are blackened.
• Place the poblano peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes- this will help them sweat so that the skin becomes very loose and easy to remove.
• Peel off the skins from the roasted peppers, cut them half and remove the seeds and stems. Remove any liquid inside the peppers.
• Cut the poblano peppers into strips and then cut them into small pieces, about ½ inch to 1 inch wide.
• To assemble the empanadas, place a spoonful or two of the cheese mixture and some chopped roasted poblano peppers or rajas on the middle of each empanada disc.
• Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges. You can either use a fork to help seal the empanadas, or use your fingers to twist and curl the edges creating a churito or curl type seal. You can also use an empanada mold to seal the empanadas.
• If you have time, for best results, especially since these empanadas contain cheese, chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking, this will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
• Before baking, brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give a nice golden glow when they bake. If you are making several batches of different empanadas and have any poblanos left over, you can place a small piece of the pepper on top of each empanada as a marker to help identify the filling.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden.
• Serve the poblano and cheese empanadas with your choice of dipping sauce.

BEEF AND ROASTED POBLANO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, 5 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of salt on medium speed until completely blended. With the motor running, slowly add in water and continue to mix until a soft and pliable dough forms, 3 to 5 minutes. Flatten the dough into a 6-inch round, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to let rest for 30 minutes to 4 hours.
• For the Filling: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat until it smokes lightly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the ground beef in a single layer. Season with salt. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the beef, transfer the meat to a large bowl, and set aside.
• In a separate skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with salt, and cook until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix the onions and garlic into the beef and chill in the refrigerator. Once the meat mixture is cooled, add cumin and cayenne and mix to combine cumin. Add the cream cheese and mix well.
• Meanwhile, on an open flame or grill, roast the poblanos on all sides until charred, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Set aside to let cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, seeds and ribs. Cut the peppers into small strips. Set aside to let cool.
• For Empanadas: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and dust with flour, set aside. Lightly dust a flat work surface with flour. Roll out dough into a 1/8-inch thick sheet. Make sure you flour only one side of the dough (if you flour both sides this will prevent the dough from sticking together when crimping the empanada.) Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to stamp out 24 to 26 rounds.
• Place a couple of strips of poblano in the center of one round and top it with 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture. Fold the dough in half to form a half moon and crimp the edges together by gently pressing them with the tines of a fork to seal. Place the cookie cutter over the empanada and use the edge to cut off any excess dough. Repeat with the remaining poblano strips, filling, and dough. Place the empanadas as done in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet that has been dusted with flour. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Place a wire rack on a sheet tray, set aside. In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the remaining canola oil until it reaches 350 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slowly place 3 to 4 empanadas into the hot oil (don't crowd the pot) and fry, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer cooked empanadas to a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Sprinkle immediately with salt. Working in batches, fry the remaining empanadas and arrange in a single layer on the rack. Place the sheet pan in the center of the oven and heat for 5 to 8 minutes to ensure the centers of the empanadas are warm.
• Serve empanadas with tomato salsa on the side.

POBLANO AND CHEESE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil and butter. Add poblanos and cook for 10 minutes, flipping occasionally.
• Add onions to skillet then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the corn, chicken bouillon, cumin, salt, and pepper to skillet. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat. Add cream cheese and manchego cheese, then stir well. Cover skillet and let rest for 5 minutes.
• When ready to assemble empanadas, lay out an empanada dough sheet and spoon prepared filling into the center. Lightly wet the edges of the empanada with water, then fold, using your fingers to press down and seal the empanada. For pretty presentation, press a fork around the edges of the empanada. Place empanada on prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step until all empanadas are assembled.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Use a basting brush to coat the tops of the prepared empanadas with egg wash.
• Bake empanadas for 20-25 minutes or until tops of empanadas are golden brown.
• Serve immediately.

BACON, POBLANO & CHEESE MINI EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in medium skillet on medium heat 5 min. (Bacon should not be cooked until crisp.) Drain and discard drippings from skillet. Add onions and garlic to bacon in skillet; cook and stir 4 min. or until bacon is crisp. Drain bacon mixture; return to skillet. Stir in chiles and cheese; cool.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 11-inch square; cut into 12 smaller squares. Brush edges of each square lightly with egg.
• Spoon about 1 Tbsp. bacon mixture onto center of each pastry square; fold diagonally in half. Press gently on tops to remove excess air; seal edges with fork. Bend slightly to resemble half moons. Make small cut in top of each to vent steam. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet; brush with any remaining egg.
• Bake 20 min. or until golden brown.