Nowhere can I find an empanada dough that I can get excited about! So... I'm taking the bull by the horns and playing with flours and tanginess. Vinegar? I don't think so ... lemon juice for me. Shortening? No, no, no! Olive oil. I shall combine the best from all the recipes I've researched and go for it! Oh... and I may get messy. Get ready!
Just so you know ... I like empanadas that are more of the Mexican corn flour tortilla-type as opposed to the Spanish flour-type ... they are heavier, but don't seem to absorb the oils from frying quite so much.
So here goes...
What could be more basic than flour, eggs, oil, and salt? In this case, I have combined a traditional Spanish Asturian recipe that uses olive oil and lemons and the Mexican cornmeal tortilla recipe that is simply cornmeal, salt, and cold water. Because the cornmeal is really heavy, I added an even split on wheat flour and harina masa. It worked well for my taste.
This is what the chilled dough looks like ... a happy little moist dough that is totally malleable without being sticky.
I was an empanada rolling machine! Now I have a happy little pile of dough rounds that are ready to be loaded up. Tonight, I had mushrooms that needed eating, so ... Mushroom Empanadas courtesy of Milliken and Feniger's Mesa Mexicana ... recipe posted in the punchline.
This is the freshest of shitake mushrooms ('cause that's what I had and I love them), fresh parsley, onions, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper,and butter.
Let's talk 'queso' - cheese ... I use an even split of Monterey Jack, ricotta, and shredded Romano cheese ... they are as close as I can get to soft manchego, anejo, and panela cheeses. I am a fan of Milliken and Feniger and they recommend this cheese blend for all sorts of Mexican recipes.
Every culture has the filled pastry ... and aren't we G-L-A-D ?
We made a dinner of these warm empanadas served with thinly sliced green cabbage, tomatilla salsa verde and sour cream with beans and rice that we had left over from a couple nights ago ... a glass of wine and it was a perfect Friday Night Knosh.
These look so wonderful... a bit like a Cornish Pasty with Mexican flavourings!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I will do to improve this empanada dough next time is to roll it thinner and perhaps add a tbsp. of brown sugar to the dough. I am on a mission to perfect empanadas because I find them such satisying little packets... and yes! They are very much like a Cornish pasty!
ReplyDeleteNO WAY! You are wonderful you know that? I have been searching for the perfect vegetarian filling and here it is. Your empanada dough looks perfect - very crisp - and the filling - I could go on and on - I love the idea of mushrooms as a filling but with cheese - you've elevated empanada to a whole new level.
ReplyDeleteOh Trissa! I am honored that you think my lowly empanada filling worthy! It was good, by the by! The only thing ... roll the dough thinly!
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