Daily Loaf

I hope everyone cooks with their kids. If you don’t have any, I suggest you get some. And if that’s too much trouble, just borrow one. My 4 year old, Olivia, would love to come to your house and help you with the flour. On our agenda this time: Empanadas.

Empanadas are a Latin pastry that can be filled with just about anything; pork, beef, chicken, cheese etc. Because every Latin culture has a variation of empanadas, what one country calls an empanada may be very different in another. The dough recipe I chose was this one. The cooking method is also variable. Ours were fried in peanut oil but baking is another way (more common actually and certainly healthier). I also chose frying because it’s much more forgiving if the dough is not perfect. Whatever your choice for dough, stick closely to the recipe because you’re now dealing with the science of bread. Failure here is complete failure. As a non-baker, I have no pearls of wisdom other than I fried the damned dough. Fool proof. Olivia finds the popping on the stove more entertaining too.

The filling here was quite a star for me. I slow-roasted a sirloin with vegetables the day before for an extra lean pot roast. I find sirloin to be quite beefy in taste. It’s not typically highly marbled, so it’s not as buttery all by itself as say a ribeye or tenderloin, yet it packs a ton of that flavor that makes me maintain my carnivorous nature. It’s perfect for braising or slow roasting. It also holds up well in stew. Today the plan is to use the fall apart characteristics from the eight hours of roasting to get the shredded beef effect found in many Latin dishes.

With some common ingredients found in Mexican and Latin American cooking, I made a filling worthy of the near-perfect dough that Olivia expertly rolled out and helped cut into 6-inch rounds. Together we packed each empanada and fried them to a light honey colored gold. The texture was remarkable. Each bite of the shell had a slight crispiness to the outside but the 1/8th inch thickness was perfectly chewy beneath. The filling had a surprising smokiness that made one think they were eating this on a cool desert night beneath a Saguaro cactus with an open fire. Onion, garlic, cumin and smoked paprika combine to give this tender beef an over the top flavor that is simple and rustic with a definite air of sophistication.

Beef Empanadas

For a roasted sirloin (1 day before):
3-4 pound sirloin roast
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 ½ cups red wine
Salt to taste but I use about 2 tablespoons

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook over low to medium low heat (200-250 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 8 hours. Remove the meat and rest on cutting board until cool (up to an hour). Pull meat apart using two forks and working away from each other. Cover in container and refrigerate overnight.

For the liquid remaining in the crock pot, strain and discard the solids and use the liquid in any recipe that calls for beef broth. We need about ¾ cup for the empanada filling. It can be frozen in an airtight container for at least a month or 2 (perhaps longer but that’s as long as I ever have).

For the filling:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 ¼ cups beef broth
Pulled beef from day before

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the oil, onions and salt and begin to sweat. Do not brown. Once soft and just becoming translucent (about 4-5 minutes), add the next 6 ingredients. After the tomato paste and spices combine and become aromatic (3-4 minutes), add the broth and pulled beef. Simmer over low heat until the broth is reduced and the mixture is thickened (about 10 minutes). Add broth, if needed, to desired consistency. Remove from heat and let cool an hour before making the empanadas.

To put these empanadas together:

Empanada dough (such as this one)
Beef filling
Chopped green olives with pimento (enough for a few slices per empanada)
Enough peanut oil to fill a large pot or deep fryer about 1/3 full (about 8 cups for me)
2 cups sour cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

The recipe I used made dough for about 15 empanadas. I had meat for about another 15 so I suggest doubling the dough recipe I used.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8th inch thick. Cut into about 6-inch rounds (don’t get hung up on exactly 6 inches; I used a stainless steel bowl that I guessed was about 6 inches in diameter but I could be off a bit). Using a floured surface to keep from sticking, add about 2 tablespoons of the beef mix to the center of each dough circle as well as a few slices of olive. Fold into a half moon shape. The edges should be crimped down with a fork using a rocking motion on the work surface. This will give you greater control so as not to penetrate the dough. This is both aesthetic and functional. It seals the half circle and makes for an attractive presentation.

Bring a pot of oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, get one -they are super cheap and oil temperature is crucial in most frying recipes). Add the empanadas in batches (only add as many as can float freely in the size vessel you are cooking in) and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly salt immediately. Continue to work in batches until finished. Empanadas can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven while waiting for the rest to finish.

Combine the sour cream, green onion, salt and pepper in a bowl and reserve as dip for empanadas.

I serve these family style on a platter with the green onion sour cream on the side. Depending on the exact size of your rounds, you should get 25-35 individual empanadas.

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