White Empanadas With Sour Cream Sauce Recipes

CUBAN PICADILLO EMPANADA AND CILANTRO CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring to break up the turkey, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the turkey to a bowl and keep the fat in the pan. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, garlic, onions and bell peppers, and cook until soft and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan and stir to incorporate. Add the tomato puree, raisins, capers, olives, thyme and bay leaf, and cook until all of the flavors come together and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with the lime juice, salt and pepper. Cool the filling completely.
• For the dough: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Gradually add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water, and work it in with your hands to incorporate; the dough should be easy to handle and not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Lightly flour a rolling pin and a clean surface. Divide the dough in half. Refrigerate half of the dough and roll out the other half of the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 4-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 10 circles of dough. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the edges with the egg wash and then fold the dough to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• For the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, add the crema, cilantro and lime juice. Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.
• Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with some egg wash. Using a fork, prick a few holes in the tops of the empanadas for the steam to escape. Bake until the empanadas are golden brown, 30 minutes.

SPICY DUCK EMPANADAS WITH FIRE SAUCE AND CILANTRO CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl combine the masa harina, flour, Southwest Seasoning, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Cut the lard into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the water a little at a time, stirring gently. Knead the dough several times on a lightly floured surface, touching the dough as little as possible. Form the dough into a log about 12 inches long by 3 inches across and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
• In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Season the duck meat with 1 teaspoon of the Southwest Seasoning. When the pan is smoking hot, add the duck and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the corn, peppers, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon of Essence. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shallots and garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the stock and bring to a boil.
• Combine the remaining 1/2 cup stock with the cornstarch and whisk into the filling mixture. Cook for 5 minutes over high heat. Remove from the heat and strain off the gravy. Return the gravy to a small saucepan and bring up to a gentle boil and let reduce for 5 minutes. Allow meat mixture to cool slightly.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal sections. Carefully roll each piece out between sheets of plastic wrap into a 5-inch circle. The dough must be handled with care to keep it from cracking. Brush the dough rounds with some of the egg wash. Mound the filling in the middle of each round of dough, fold over to form a half-moon pie shape, and crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the tops of the empanadas with more egg wash; place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice and fresh chopped cilantro together. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon the gravy on the bottom of each plate. Place an empanada in the center of the plate. Dab the cilantro cream on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and additional Essence, if desired.

SPICED BEEF EMPANADAS WITH LIME SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375º F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the raisins, ketchup, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
• Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles from the piecrusts. Divide the beef mixture among the circles, brush the edges with water, fold in half, and press with a fork to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with the egg. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Put the sour cream in a small bowl and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve with the empanadas.

MOROCCAN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles, 5-7 minutes; drain. Stir in cream cheese, preserves, carrot and seasonings. Cool slightly., On a lightly floured work surface, unroll sheets of pie crust. Cut 40 circles with a floured 3-in. cookie cutter, rerolling crust as necessary. Place half of the circles 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Top each with 1 rounded tablespoon beef mixture. Top with remaining crust circles; press edges with a fork to seal., Brush tops with egg yolk; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut slits in tops. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a microwave, warm sauce ingredients, stirring to combine. Serve with empanadas. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked empanadas on waxed paper-lined baking sheets until firm. Transfer to a freezer container; return to freezer. To use, bake empanadas as directed, increasing time as necessary. Prepare sauce as directed.

SPICY-SWEET BEEF EMPANADAS (MEXICO)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F In a skillet over medium heat, brown the meat and onion. Pour off excess fat, then add garlic and sherry. Boil down until the liquid is almost completely evaporated.
• Add cinnamon, cloves, cumin and salt/pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce. Stir in the cilantro and almonds and set aside.
• Roll out puff pastry into a thin layer on a lightly floured counter. Cut the pastries into 8 six inch circles. Place a tablespoon or two of the filling in the middle of one circle. Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg, then fold in half and press the edges together to seal.
• Press the tines of a fork along the sealed edges of the pastry to make the seal more secure. Prick the top of the empanada with the fork, then place on a baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg. Repeat with the remaining pastry circles and filling.
• Bake for 15-25 minutes, or until light golden brown on the outside and hot in the center. Serve immediately with your choice of garnishes! Enjoy!

ARGENTINEAN-INSPIRED BEEF MINI EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Prepare filling: Cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large, nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add olives, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in chopped eggs.
• Scrape mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, 1 to 2 hours; this ensures the dough will not be soggy when the empanadas are baked.
• Prepare dough: Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Whisk cold water, egg, and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour into the dry ingredients and blend with a fork. Use your hands to finish blending the ingredients until they come together in a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut circles, rerolling the scraps as necessary. I got about 18 circles.
• Hold each circle in your hand and place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Gently fold the ends over the top and press to seal all the way around. Reserve extra filling for another use.
• Set empanadas on a baking sheet. Press around the sealed edges with a fork if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on the bottoms, about 18 minutes. Flip and bake until the other side is browned, about 5 more minutes.

WHITE EMPANADAS WITH SOUR CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• To make crust: Place flour, season-all, chili powder and cumin in bowl of food processor (or with a pastry blendser, or a fork.... however you make a pastry or pie crust) and pulse until mixed. Add butter to bowl and pulse until peas sized clumps form. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture and pulse. Add one tablespoon water at a time until dough begins to form. Place mixture in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. For Filling: In a cast iron skillet (or any large skillet), heat oil over medium heat. Add turkey, chicken, onions and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook until meat is cooked and all liquid is gone. taste and adjust spices to your liking. Cool filling. Roll out dough onto lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thick. Cut out circles (sixe depending on how big you want your empanadas). Place meat filling on 1/2 of circle and moisten 1/2 of circle. Fold circle over filling and crimp edge to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place empanadas on baking stone (or cookie sheet but stone helps crisp the under side). Beat egg and water with a fork and brush each empanada with eggwash. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Serve with sour cream sauce and chopped tomatoes or salsa.