Empanadas

The idea of wrapping something in a dough crust and cooking it is older than we can document. It’s also universal, from China to South America, from England to Jamaica. Living in South Florida, there is a lot of Hispanic culture here. Empanadas are very popular, with any number if fillings, from beef to chicken and cheese. My empanadas are ground turkey, sautéed with onions, garlic and spices, wrapped in a dough disc and fried in a little oil, they’re really delicious.

The word empanada is Spanish, translated to English, it means “breaded”, coated in bread or dough. But the idea is not originally Spanish. This concept is global. Cornish Pasty in England, Jamaican Patty in Jamaica, Jiaozi in China. It was originally a way to portion off the meal, while adding some carbs to the dish. It would also be a way to extend a food supply.

The root of all this is the dumpling. The story goes way back to China in the Eastern Han Dynasty, about 1800-2000 years ago, and General Zang Zongjing. When he returned to his village he found that during an unusually cold winter a lot of villagers had frostbitten ears. He took spiced lamb and wrapped it in dough in the shape of an ear. Then he boiled them and distributed them to the villagers. The rest, as they say, is history, the concept has spread throughout the world. I’m sure the idea of wrapping some form of protein in a form of dough predates that incident, but it is a nice story.

A quick note before I move on. Every recipe on this blog I have personally cooked and had as a meal, and this one is no different, but I have to thank my good friend for helping me. As much as I have enjoyed empanadas I’d never made them before. And they came out delicious, as they will for you too.

Now getting back to the empanadas. The dough discs are available in the frozen section of most supermarkets. There are two types, those for frying and those for baking, just check the label to confirm. There is the option to make your own, if you can, go ahead. For the frying oil, I use about 1 inch of vegetable or corn oil in my skillet.

Not enough to completely submerge the empanada, so, I cook one side and flip to cook the other. If you have a fryer, that would work too. There is also the option of an air fryer, but that’s more baking than frying. What I’m saying here is that there are options when it comes to cooking. But in this recipe, I’m frying them.

The crispy dough is the texture, but, the filling is where the taste is at. Now there are hundreds of fillings that can go in an empanada, but, I’m going to use ground turkey as a protein. The savory part will be onions, peppers and garlic, a mirepoix. For the spice component, some salt, pepper and Aji seasoning. Aji seasoning is popular in south and central America, it’s made from the Aji pepper, and, various other spices.

There are varying degrees of heat, and I would compare it to ground red pepper flakes. And finally I’ll add some chopped green olives, they add a little tangy bite

Now for the cooking part. Sauté the finely chopped garlic, pepper and onion in some olive oil. Once they are soft add the ground turkey, breaking it up as it cooks, now add the Aji seasoning, spices, tomato paste and chopped olives. Allow everything to come together for about 5 mins or so. Just remember everything has to be cooked before assembling the empanada. Remove from heat and set aside. Now to build the empanadas. Lay the dough disc on a flat surface, put approximately one tablespoon of the meat in the center. using a wet finger, moisten the outer 1 inch of the disc all around. This will help the dough to stick together. Fold the disc in half, pressing the edges together, then use a fork to add texture.

That’s one done. We have enough to make about 10. As you make them, put them on a plate for the next part of the process. Put about 1 inch of vegetable oil in the skillet, over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, lay a couple of empanadas in the oil, allow to cook for just a minute or so, flip, and cook a minute or so more, remove and place on a wire rack to drain and cool. This process is very quick, just enough time in the hot oil to crisp up the dough, and give it the textured caramel color.

That’s empanadas, quick and easy to make, delicious to eat. There is the option to cook the filling at another time, save in the fridge. Just reheat before making the empanadas Thank you for reading and enjoy the food.