Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I want to make some, and I want to make the dough from scratch too. I looked online, and a lot of the dough uses shortening, which I don't use. Could I just use flour, egg, butter, salt, and water?
I don't eat too much meat, and would like to use vegetables and cheese for the filling. Maybe spinach and what cheese?
Here's a recipe that uses butter instead of shortening. I've never tried it, so let us know how it comes out!
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup partially frozen butter (cut into small cubes, place the butter cubes in the freezer until ALMOST completely frozen)
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar
In a large bowl sift together flour and salt. Blend in the cold butter cubes using you fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal (the mixture should be pea-size). In a small bowl whisk together egg, ice water and vinegar. Add to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until incorporated (the mixture will look somewhat lumpy). Transfer the mixture onto a LIGHTLY floured surface. Gather the dough together with your hands and gently knead with the heel of your hand once or twice (just enough to bring the dough together, do not overwork the dough or it will be tough!). Form the dough in a semi-flat ball or rectangle. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Roll out the dough, then cut into desired size circles. Fill with favorite fillings then close the dough over the filling as you would a pierogi. Brush the ends with egg wash then seal together with a fork.Bake as desired.
You could trying filling them with spinach, artichoke hearts and a blend of mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano and cream cheese. Okay....I'd like to make them now!!
Got tosay that if you want true empanadas you are going to have to eat a tiny bit of lard. But, if you are willing to sacrfice authentic taste no worries. Saw a great post the other day for Jamaican meat patties, which were essentially caribbean empanadas, but baked!
I loved them and they did not have lard, which was good, but not a true-blue mexican emapnada.
That being said, take a look and give it a try, you may love them as much as I did!
Empanadas are very popular in Argentina, where there is an abundance of very high-end beef. You can always go ahead and use the filling you prefer, but I don't think your results will resemble "true" empanadas at all.
Argentinian cuisine has very rich (and delicious) dishes, such as alfajores and empanadas, and they have no problem using ingredients such as whole milk and lard.
For whatever reason, for example, if you prefer to use 2% milk, butter, etc. of course it is a valid substitution, and you will make your dish "healthier", but the results will be subpar if compared to the traditional ones, of course. If the trade-off works for you, that is just fine, to each his/her own.
They do sell empanadas de verduras in every empanada place I ate at in Argentina, with a filling of spinach and cheese I believe. That is the filling I prefer.
In Southcenteral texas empanadas are sweets...made with pumpkin and pineapple filling. My mother made her dough from her Flour tortillas recipe.
maybe you could use a flour tortilla mix...like masa trigo(wheat).
I lived in deep south Texas (McAllen) and the only Empanadas I've ever had were Calabaza (sweetened pumpkin) Pineapple or Apple. I have a yeast dough recipe from the H.E.B. grocery chain but, unfortunately, I have yet to make it work in quantities less than 100. Perhaps, if someone tried using masa trigo in combination with a yeast leaven....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
empanadas
