Jamaican Empanadas Recipes

JAMAICAN BEEF PATTIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, and pinch of salt. Cut in 1/4 cup margarine and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Shape dough into a log, and cut into 10 equal sections. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.
• Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in ground beef. Season with 1 teaspoon curry powder, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook until beef is evenly brown, stirring constantly. Stir in beef broth and bread crumbs. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
• Spoon equal amounts of filling into each pastry circle. Fold over and press edges together, making a half circle. Use a fork to press edges, and brush the top of each patty with beaten egg.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

PANAMANIAN BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Filling:.
• Place oil in skillet and brown the beef, then drain the grease.
• Add rest of ingredients, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
• If needed, add a little bit of flour to thicken the consistency of the filling. Salt and pepper to taste.
• For Crust:.
• Roll out on a lightly floured board-1/8th inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter or glass for appetizer sized empanadas. Use a small plate for luncheon size empanadas.
• On each round, put about 1/2 teaspoon filling. Fold over and flute edges with fork. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees until the crust is golden brown.
• You can also deep fry these in a deep fryer or in a deep skillet with enough oil to cover them. that's the way they eat them there, but baking is lower fat! But fried is sooo good! If frying don't brush the tops with egg!
• Enjoy!

CHICKEN CURRY EMPANADAS

Steps:

• See Photo Galleries for images of all three instruction sets. Also the video at the beginning of the blog shows how to crimp the dough edges.
• Dough
• Cube two sticks of cold butter. The wrappers can be folded in half and saved for lightly greasing the baking sheets.
• In a small bowl, beat two eggs. Mix in the white vinegar and water.
• Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or food processor with metal blade. Pulse or mix a few times to distribute the salt.
• Add all the butter pieces and mix/pulse until crumbly and no pieces are bigger than pea-sized. This also can be done in a bowl by hand, with two butter knives or a pastry cutter.
• Slowly drizzle in the egg-vinegar-water mixture while running the mixer.
• As soon as the dough comes together, remove it from the bowl, knead it a few times on a lightly floured counter, and then divide it in two pieces.
• Shape the pieces into squares (about one inch thick) to make later cutting easier. Wrap the squares tightly and refrigerate them at least 30 minutes and up to two days.
• Filling
• Grind 1 pound of raw chicken (about 2 breasts) in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can slightly freeze the chicken to make it easier to handle, and then chop it into small pieces with a sharp knife.
• Chop the onion and pepper(s).
• In a large fry pan, heat the oil, and then add the onion, pepper, and spices (not the salt). Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent.
• Add the ground chicken, bread crumbs, and water. Lightly simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Stir frequently and add more water to deglaze the pan if the mixture begins to stick to the pan.
• The filling should be wet but not watery. When you scrape some filling to the side, a puddle shouldn't form in the empty space, but if you press down on the mixture with a spoon, some liquid should creep over the edges of the spoon.
• Mix in a half teaspoon of salt, taste the filling, and add more as needed.
• Let the filling cool for about a half hour. You can transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate it to speed cooling. Also, you can make it a day ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
• Assembly
• On a flat clean workspace, set out a rolling pin, bench knife or large knife, two large lightly greased baking sheets, and extra flour for dusting.
• Flour your work surface and remove one of the dough squares from the refrigerator.
• Unwrap the dough and cut it into 12 squares (4x3).
• Smoosh the cubes into small round discs.
• Roll each disc into a circle about 4-5 inches in diameter and ~1/8 inch thick. Flour lightly, just to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. The finished pieces can be layered in a staggered way.
• When you have finished all twelve, cover them with a slightly damp towel or a piece of plastic wrap to prevent them from drying while you do the next twelve.
• After all 24 circles are rolled out, begin preheating your oven to 375F, and remove the filling from the refrigerator.
• Assemble empanadas using your first batch of 12 dough circles first. I found it easiest to lay a dough circle in the palm of one hand, and put a dinner-spoonful of filling into the middle of the circle. Then I folded the dough in half and laid the empanada on the baking sheet. Resist the temptation to overstuff.
• Crimp the edges of the empanada with a fork, or using your two index fingers: one to anchor/limit the dough fold, and the other to fold the dough edges up and inward.
• When 12 empanadas are finished on the baking sheet, brush the top of them with a beaten egg, and put them in the preheated oven to bake for 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
• While the first sheet is baking, assemble the second set of twelve empanadas and egg-wash them.
• You can put the second baking sheet in the oven while the first is still cooking. Just make sure to rotate and shift the tray(s) every 5 minutes or so.
• Let the empanadas cool about 10 minutes before eating.
• Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
• Freezing is best done with uncooked empanadas before the egg-wash. Freeze on a flat surface and then transfer to a plastic bag or sealed container.