As a member of the "ethnic" community here in the US (which I assume to mean that my non-US roots are not as far back as others' or simply that I'm not Caucasian), I want to advocate the importance of trying ethnic foods from the original source before venturing off into modification land.
I recently stumbled upon a
Paula Deen recipe for Chicken Empanadas that, to me, presented a slight deviation from the delicious appetizers I've tasted my entire life. Mostly, her use of pie pastry to make the dough didn't sit well with me. Now, her recipe may be delicious (I haven't tried it) but it surely isn't what you'd find in the whole of Latin America.
I adore empanadas and was very thankful to see Todd English dedicate an entire episode to them. He traveled to many places far and wide (well, Ok, many ethnic places in NYC) to taste and comment on the global variations of the food. The beauty about food is that everything lies on a spectrum without a strict finite regulation. So in my opinion, try to get as close to the basic first before expanding to gradations.
Right before I moved to Texas the only thing I wanted before leaving Manhattan was an empanada from the street vendors who make them in their respective countries. The finger food did not disappoint. The crust was perfectly golden, not overdone, with a salty taste. I immediately pondered what ingredients were in the dough to make it so idiosyncratic of the Caribbean. Although variations exist in many countries
there is an ongoing debate about the best way to prepare the dough but having personally known street vendors I can tell you that almost all of them buy pre-made dough "discs."
A typical recipe goes like this:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 tablespoons of cold water
- Salt
- 2 cups of oil for frying
The standards are the ingredients above but where the confusion sets in is with the "magic" add-ons: vegetable shortening, lard, butter, margarine, eggs and sometimes even vinegar. These tend to depend on the chef and perhaps maybe even the region that is preparing them. I have never tasted empanadas with a tad of vinegar in the dough but I have had them with vegetable shortening and I can vouch for using pre-made discs, the straightforward flour and oil method above, and vegetable shortening.
This definitely is an invitation to experiment.
As for that amazing filling, it's totally up to personal taste but my favorites have always been beef with raisins (typical of the Caribbean) and white cheese as opposed to chicken. If you use cheese I
strongly suggest that you find a specialty store that sells
Queso Blanco. (
NOTE: This cheese will not melt and in some regions, it is preferred that way. It does, however, become soft enough to chew with ease.) Some street vendors use mozarella, which also works really well.
Beef with Raisins Empanadas (modified)from
Epicurious1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 pound ground beef chuck
2 tablespoons raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving
2 tablespoons juice, and chopped
1 package frozen empanada pastry disks, thawed
About 4 cups vegetable oil
Cook onion in olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
Add raisins, olives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tomatoes with reserved juice, then cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced but mixture is still moist, about 5 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.
Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a dampened work surface (to help keep plastic in place), then roll out an empanada disk on plastic wrap to measure about 6 inches. Place 3 tablespoons meat mixture on disk. Moisten edges of disk with water and fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp with a fork. Make more empanadas in same manner.
Heat 3/4 inch vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on thermometer. Fry empanadas, 2 or 3 at a time, turning once, until crisp and golden, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
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