Empanadillas De Carne Puerto Rican Empanadas Recipes

EMPANADILLAS (FRIED PUERTO RICAN TURNOVERS)

Steps:

• Make the pie dough (skip to step 3 if using store-bought dough.) Start by pulsing flour and butter in a food processor until pea sized pieces begin to form. Pulse in the water a few tablespoons at a time until a ball of dough forms. Chill for at least 2 hours.
• Make the Picadillo filling. Start with oil, onions, and peppers in a pan over medium heat. Once onions become translucent, add sofrito and sauté another minute before adding ground beef. Break the ground beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Add sazon, adobo, bay leaves, tomato sauce, olives, and water. Bring it to a boil before simmering with a lid partially on, for 10 minutes or until the beef is fully cooked.
• Prep the dough. Dust a clean surface with flour and roll dough out to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out circular discs using a large cookie cutter or small bowl. Spoon picadillo over half of each disc, fold the empty dough over top and pinch together with a fork.
• Fry. Heat oil to around 350 degrees before frying empanadas on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the edges. Enjoy!

BEEF EMPANADAS (PUERTO RICAN EMPANADAS)

Steps:

• Add 2 ½ cups AP flour, 1 stick of cold butter cut into small pieces, 1 egg, ¼ cup cold water, and a pinch of salt to a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour dough mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form mixture into a ball with your hands. Wrap the ball of dough tightly in the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, remove dough from the fridge. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin as thin as possible. Place a 5-6 inch round bowl or plate onto the dough. Run a knife along the edges of the bowl until you have cut a round disc. Remove the dough round and set aside.Repeat with the rest of the dough. The dough will need to be formed into a ball and rolled out a few more times to cut the rest of the dough rounds. Repeat until all the dough has been cut into rounds.
• Parboil a medium potato for 7 to 10 minutes, then peel and dice into small pieces. Mince 20 Spanish olives.Heat a large skillet to medium and add ground beef. Cook completely and chop it into pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease when finished cooking. Add the potato, sofrito, and ¼ cup water to the pan.Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Add tomato sauce, 1 Sazon con Azafron seasoning packet, ¼ cup water, and a pinch of salt.Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. Toss the olives into the pan and stir.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Place the pastry rounds onto a clean surface. Spoon 2 Tbsp. or so of the meat filling into a pastry round. Top it with a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese. Rub the edges of the pastry round with a little bit of water.Pull one side of the pastry over the other and press the edges together with your fingers. Seal the edges tightly and crimp them together with your fingers or a fork.Try not to over-stuff the pastry rounds or they will break as they cook. Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds.
• Spray a baking sheet(s) with cooking spray. Place half of the empanadas on each pan. Place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. You can use two separate pans or bake them in two separate batches. Serve, and enjoy!

EMPANADILLAS DE CARNE (PUERTO RICAN EMPANADAS)

Steps:

• Follow instructions to make empanadilla dough and carne molida.
• On a flat surface, fill one empanadilla disk at a time by adding two tablespoons of the carne molida to the center (or it may be easier for you to add filling more to one side of dough) of the dough.
• Fold dough over to form a half moon.Crimp edges of the dough with a fork to seal.Note: Some people like to flip empanadilla over and crimp the other side as well but I find that it is not necessary as long as you crimp one side firmly.
• Add half an inch of vegetable or canola oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
• Once the oil has heated some, add a few empanadillas at a time and cook until golden brown on one side.Flip empanadillas over and cook on the other side until golden brown.Drain on paper towels.
• Serve with a side of lemon wedges and hot sauce.

EMPANADILLAS DE CARNE

Steps:

• In a skillet heat the oils and brown the meats. Add the seasonings, onion, garlic and jalapeno. Saute until tender. Drain any excess fat. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until very thick. Cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll the pastry dough out on a floured surface. Cut into 2" rounds. Place 1 tbsp of meat mixture on each round. Fold the round in half and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Brush the pastry with egg whites. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.