I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
little time and made empanadas. I had a can of refrigerator
biscuits left from last week when some relatives were here and I had
some of my pie dough in the freezer so I made the filling and did two
different batches of two different crusts.

The biscuit dough empanadas were larger and easier to roll the edges.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...

I could put quite a bit of filling in them since they were larger so
they will be good to take
to work for lunch.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...

I made the ones in the pie crust smaller, appetizer sized. They will
be yummy with sour
cream and salsa for dipping.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...

Someone here (I think) posted about empanadas and I've been hungry for
them ever since, so I figured today was a good day to be in the
kitchen playing. I took a couple of recipes I found
while Googling around and made up my own filling.

Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

Here it is.

2 fist sized russet potatoes diced small and boiled till just tender,
drained.
1 large onion chopped small
2 ribs of celery diced very small
2 small yellow peppers (whatever peppers you happen to have)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb ground beef (didn't have any pork or I would have put that in
too)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup raisins (I almost didn't put in the raisins but when tasting,
decided they were needed)
1/2 cup green olives (stuffed) chopped
about a cup of chopped fresh cilantro
can of kernel corn, drained well
salt to taste

I boiled the diced potatoes till just barely tender, drained and set
aside.
Saute the onion, celery, peppers and garlic in a bit of olive oil till
onion is translucent.
Add ground beef and saute till pink is almost gone.
Add seasonings, wine vinegar, raisins and olives and cook till beef
shows no pink.
Add diced potatoes, kernel corn and cilantro and mix well. Tasted for
salt (and it needed some.)

Set mixture off heat and allow to cool pretty completely. It set up
nicely and was not
the least bit runny but still juicy ( the potatoes helped firm
everything up ).

When the mixture was cold I rolled out the biscuits into about 6'
circles and stuffed them.
Baked at 365 till golden. They were large enough so that I could
roll and pinch the edges
so I didn't use any egg wash.

I rolled out the pie crust and cut smaller circles for the appetizer
sized empanadas. They
were a bit harder to crimp but I managed to pinch them without using
egg was as well.
I didn't paint the tops of either batch. Just left them as they
were.

I actually added a bit more 'heat' seasonings to the mix and they are
not overly hot at all and are very savory and good.

I'll freeze most of these to have on hand for guests or when I don't
want to make dinner after I get home from work.........if I don't eat
them all first!!!

My pie dough recipe is really versatile, we used it not only for fruit
pies, etc., but also for quiches, anywhere you need a good pie crust
recipe. It's here on the website.

http://www.hizzoners.com/index.php?o...iew=article&id...

On 6/6/2010 5:42 PM, ImStillMags wrote:
> The biscuit dough empanadas were larger and easier to roll the edges.
> http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...
>
> I could put quite a bit of filling in them since they were larger so
> they will be good to take
> to work for lunch.
> http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...
>
> I made the ones in the pie crust smaller, appetizer sized. They will
> be yummy with sour
> cream and salsa for dipping.
> http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...
>
>

Thanks for the photos and the recipes. Which crust did you prefer?

Becca

On Jun 6, 5:04*pm, Becca > wrote:
> On 6/6/2010 5:42 PM, ImStillMags wrote:
>
> > The biscuit dough empanadas were larger and easier to roll the edges.
> >http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...
>
> > I could put quite a bit of filling in them since they were larger so
> > they will be good to take
> > to work for lunch.
> >http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...
>
> > I made the ones in the pie crust smaller, appetizer sized. * They will
> > be yummy with sour
> > cream and salsa for dipping.
> >http://picasaweb.google.com/Sitara80...Witch#54797875...
>
> Thanks for the photos and the recipes. *Which crust did you prefer?
>
> Becca

It's kinda apples and oranges. The biscuit crust was more "bready"
and substantial, more like a sandwich.
The pie crust was more ephemeral and delicate, more like an appetizer.

I liked both but I think the pie crust with its flakier texture is my
favorite.

ImStillMags wrote:

> I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
> little time and made empanadas.

What a coincidence! I have never had an empanada in my life,
I've only seen them made on tv. Today I went to a jazz festival and
one of the food vendors were a couple of Brazilian ladies making
empanadas! I had the beef.

They looked like the ones in your picture where their are fewer
of them in the pan.

nancy

On Sun, 6 Jun 2010 15:42:41 -0700 (PDT), ImStillMags
> wrote:

>I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
>little time and made empanadas. I had a can of refrigerator
>biscuits left from last week when some relatives were here and I had
>some of my pie dough in the freezer so I made the filling and did two
>different batches of two different crusts.
>
Snippage

Thank you so much for the photos and recipes. They look wonderful.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw

www.kokoscornerblog.com
updated 05/31/10

On Sun, 6 Jun 2010 20:43:24 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

> ImStillMags wrote:
>
> > I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
> > little time and made empanadas.
>
>
Looks like I deleted the OP by mistake, so I have to piggyback.
Anyway... I was just looking at chowhound and what was in the right
column? http://www.chow.com/recipes/28385-chicken-empanadas


--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Jun 6, 6:45*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Jun 2010 20:43:24 -0400, "Nancy Young"
>
> > wrote:
> > ImStillMags wrote:
>
> > > I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
> > > little time and made empanadas. *
>
> Looks like I deleted the OP by mistake, so I have to piggyback.
> Anyway... I was just looking at chowhound and what was in the right
> column? *http://www.chow.com/recipes/28385-chicken-empanadas
>
> --
> Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

must be something in the air!!!

In future I'll most likely make them with just my pie crust. The
biscuits were an idea I got from Googling around for recipes.
One called for some shredded cheddar added as well. This might be an
option, but I'd put it in after the mix was cold or
on top of the mix before folding and crimping.

The Argentinian empanada recipes all called for a sliced boiled egg
tucked in along with the dried fruit. May have to
play around with some of those too.

I'm really liking them. They weren't hard to make and really didn't
take any more time than any other decent dish to make.
And it was a fun afternoon with the weather keeping me indoors.

On Mon, 7 Jun 2010 11:58:24 -0700 (PDT), ImStillMags
> wrote:

> I'm really liking them. They weren't hard to make and really didn't
> take any more time than any other decent dish to make.
> And it was a fun afternoon with the weather keeping me indoors.

Here's what my sister in law does.

Empanada

Dough

5 yolks or 4 yolks and 1 whole egg
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
8-10 cups all purpose flour

Put sugar in a bowl, mix in melted butter, then mix in eggs. Add
broth, mix well. Add flour little by little, mixing well. When the
dough is thick, use your hand to mix. Knead, then roll out the dough
and divide into four parts. Each part will make 25 or more empanadas.


Filling

2 1/2 pounds ground pork or 2 lbs ground pork and 1/2 ground chicken
10 oz frozen peas
1/2 cup raisins
1 small can pimiento, diced
3 or 4 medium potatoes, cooked and cut into small dice
1 onion diced


--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Jun 7, 1:20*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Mon, 7 Jun 2010 11:58:24 -0700 (PDT), ImStillMags
>
> > wrote:
> > I'm really liking them. *They weren't hard to make and really didn't
> > take any more time than any other decent dish to make.
> > And it was a fun afternoon with the weather keeping me indoors.
>
> Here's what my sister in law does.
>
> Empanada
>
> Dough
>
> 5 yolks or 4 yolks and 1 whole egg
> 1 cup butter, melted
> 2 cups sugar
> 8-10 cups all purpose flour
>
> Put sugar in a bowl, mix in melted butter, then mix in eggs. *Add
> broth, mix well. *Add flour little by little, mixing well. *When the
> dough is thick, use your hand to mix. *Knead, then roll out the dough
> and divide into four parts. *Each part will make 25 or more empanadas.
>
> Filling
>
> 2 1/2 pounds ground pork or 2 lbs ground pork and 1/2 ground chicken
> 10 oz frozen peas
> 1/2 cup raisins
> 1 small can pimiento, diced
> 3 or 4 medium potatoes, cooked and cut into small dice
> 1 onion diced
>
> --
> Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

She makes the sweet empanadas! I saw those too but I was looking for
savory and spicy. I saw recipes for fruit filled as well.

On Mon, 7 Jun 2010 13:57:03 -0700 (PDT), ImStillMags
> wrote:

> She makes the sweet empanadas! I saw those too but I was looking for
> savory and spicy. I saw recipes for fruit filled as well.

I *love* that dough. It browns well and it's not as sweet as you may
think it is.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

ImStillMags wrote:
>
> On Jun 6, 6:45 pm, sf > wrote:
> > On Sun, 6 Jun 2010 20:43:24 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> >
> > > wrote:
> > > ImStillMags wrote:
> >
> > > > I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
> > > > little time and made empanadas.
> >
> > Looks like I deleted the OP by mistake, so I have to piggyback.
> > Anyway... I was just looking at chowhound and what was in the right
> > column? http://www.chow.com/recipes/28385-chicken-empanadas
> >
> > --
> > Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
>
> must be something in the air!!!
>
> In future I'll most likely make them with just my pie crust. The
> biscuits were an idea I got from Googling around for recipes.
> One called for some shredded cheddar added as well. This might be an
> option, but I'd put it in after the mix was cold or
> on top of the mix before folding and crimping.
>
> The Argentinian empanada recipes all called for a sliced boiled egg
> tucked in along with the dried fruit. May have to
> play around with some of those too.
>
> I'm really liking them. They weren't hard to make and really didn't
> take any more time than any other decent dish to make.
> And it was a fun afternoon with the weather keeping me indoors.

Try rolling out the biscuit dough thinner for your empanadas. It will be
less bready. Could also try brushing the tops with water before baking
to crisp them up.

On Jun 7, 4:39*pm, Arri London > wrote:
> ImStillMags wrote:
>
> > On Jun 6, 6:45 pm, sf > wrote:
> > > On Sun, 6 Jun 2010 20:43:24 -0400, "Nancy Young"
>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > ImStillMags wrote:
>
> > > > > I had the ingredients on hand and it was a icky rainy day so I spent a
> > > > > little time and made empanadas.
>
> > > Looks like I deleted the OP by mistake, so I have to piggyback.
> > > Anyway... I was just looking at chowhound and what was in the right
> > > column? *http://www.chow.com/recipes/28385-chicken-empanadas
>
> > > --
> > > Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
>
> > must be something in the air!!!
>
> > In future I'll most likely make them with just my pie crust. * *The
> > biscuits were an idea I got from Googling around for recipes.
> > One called for some shredded cheddar added as well. * This might be an
> > option, but I'd put it in after the mix was cold or
> > on top of the mix before folding and crimping.
>
> > The Argentinian empanada recipes all called for a sliced boiled egg
> > tucked in along with the dried fruit. *May have to
> > play around with some of those too.
>
> > I'm really liking them. *They weren't hard to make and really didn't
> > take any more time than any other decent dish to make.
> > And it was a fun afternoon with the weather keeping me indoors.
>
> Try rolling out the biscuit dough thinner for your empanadas. It will be
> less bready. Could also try brushing the tops with water before baking
> to crisp them up.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks, I did roll it out quite thin but I probably won't use canned
biscuits for empanadas ever again, it's just not the
same as the pie dough. It was an experiment. I may try SF's
sweeter dough just to see how it bakes up.