Empanadas

[piazzola]

To chime in on Filipino empanadas, there are indeed different varieties of sweet and savoury. But the sweet ones are usually smaller and called empanaditas with fillings of jam and/or custard.

There are two very well-known native adaptations, the Ilocano empanada and the Kapampangan Christmas 'panara. Both have vegetable fillings such as bean sprouts (Ilocos) and grated green papaya (Pampanga), bits of longanisa and raw eggs, then deep-fried or baked.

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I Argentina there are no sweet empanadas though there are somethin similar called pasteles fritos which they basically use the same dough cut rectangular filled with dulce de batata o membrillo or quince paste

Had a ball in Filipinas as I often was confused by a yank told them I was Ukrainian where?.

Funny accent they have over there a kind of bastardised Irish English too many "rrrrrs" but Spanish spachen ziltch I wasn't impressed!

[PPPans]

I Argentina there are no sweet empanadas though there are somethin similar called pasteles fritos which they basically use the same dough cut rectangular filled with dulce de batata o membrillo or quince paste

Had a ball in Filipinas as I often was confused by a yank told them I was Ukrainian where?.

Funny accent they have over there a kind of bastardised Irish English too many "rrrrrs" but Spanish spachen ziltch I wasn't impressed!

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Piazzola,

Off-topic now but a cultural note: In the Filipinos' common consciousness, any western white person is a "Kano" or American, they being our last colonial masters. The rolling 'r' can't be bastardised Irish-English because like Cuba, we were only very briefly part of the British Empire - during the years 1762-1763. Their presence was hardly felt, an Irish influence much less.

I'm not sure what you mean with your last sentence. But if you were not impressed by the people's inability to speak Spanish, that's because it was never the country's lingua franca. Even at the height of the Spanish occupation, only 10% of the populace could speak it, unlike the colonies in Latin America.

Ah... but when it comes to food, it's different.

Edited to say a very well-meaning person called my attention thinking the above is an irked reply. Pardon my language if it seems terse but I didn't mean it that way.

Edited September 10, 2005 by PPPans (log)

[piazzola]

I'm not sure what you mean with your last sentence. But if you were not impressed by the people's inability to speak Spanish, that's because Spanish was never the country's lingua franca. Even at the height of the Spanish occupation, only 10% of the populace could speak it, unlike the colonies in Latin America.

Ah... but when it comes to food, it's different.

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Well did not make sense to me that Phillipines were a Spanish colony for more than three hundred years or threabouts and yet none spoke Spanish or very few knew muttered some words but what I have perceived was this deep resentment towards the old colonial masters. In Latin America (provide for wide cultural and ethnic differences) that wasn't the case even though historically both have suffered under Spanish colonial domination.

On the other hand Argentineans speak a kind of old Spanish mixed with Italian and we need a dictionary when we want to speak to a Mexican for instance.

[PPPans]

Well did not make sense to me that Phillipines were a Spanish colony for more than three hundred years or threabouts  and yet none spoke Spanish or very few knew muttered some words but what I have perceived was this deep resentment towards the old colonial masters. In Latin America (provide for wide cultural and ethnic differences) that wasn't the case even though historically both have suffered under Spanish colonial domination.

On the other hand Argentineans speak a kind of old Spanish mixed with Italian and we need a dictionary when we want to speak to a Mexican for instance.

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Hi Piazzola,

We might have to move to another thread on food and culture if you wish to pursue this topic but I'll reply here first.

Records would show that the Spanish officials had a long debate if they were to impose a uniform language and they concluded that the Philippines would be much easier to conquer if that happened. For many points in time, there were many outside threats to Spanish rule from the Chinese, the Dutch and the British. There was also the internal insurrection to speak of. You see, multiple languages are spoken in the archipelago, not just dialects. One language to unite the population would then be dangerous to colonial rule.

As for the resentment, it really goes deep because first, there were grave abuses from the Spaniards. Unlike Latin American colonies, many who were sent to this far-off land seem to have been those who were 'rejects' or people of questionable character to begin with. And then of course, the mainstream of present-day Latin America is mestizo culture which is very, very different from the Philippines. You can detect the strong Spanish influence in many facets of our lives such as in religion but deep inside, we're still of the East, no matter how other Asians dispute that.

[EHernandez]

I assume there's a Cuban version also but my GF in NJ was Cuban and I don't recall her family ever serving them nor did I see them when we got food from a neighborhood restaurant in West NY (which has a huge Cuban population).

Yes, Cubans do have their version of empanadas made with ground beef, onions, raisins and sherry wine, they are usually fried but I have seen baked versions too which are called empanadas de Castilla.

The most famous are the Empanadas de Guayaba (Guava) sometimes made with cream cheese too, encased in a puff pastry type dough.

In Panama empanadas are very common, they are made with yellow corn masa and filled with beef, cheese or chicken, and fried. Then they are also lots of different types of baked empanadas made with a short crust dough and stuffed with savory or sweet fillings. The fried version is also prepared, with a dough made with flour, lard and water.

I must add that the French also have empanadas - they call them "chaussons" and they are made with puff pastry and filled with fruit more often apples (chaussons aux pommes) and I have also seen them with a foie gras and truffles.

The Chinese have the wo-tips or pot stickers which are their asian version of empanadas.

Edited November 13, 2005 by EHernandez (log)

[torakris]

I am glad this thread came back up, I love empanadas and have been thinking about them a lot lately. In the book The Art of South American Cooking (Felipe Rojas-Lombardi) he has a whole chapter on them. He includes 15 savory recipes and 2 sweet and I think every one has a different recipe for the pastry....

They are made with flour, ground corn, fresh corn , yuca, potato and plantain.

Are the ingredients in the dough specific to certain areas? or more specific to the type of filling?

[saltshaker]

There are differences in the fillings, the doughs, the cooking methods. Probably like any popular food, there are as many different versions as their are people cooking them!

Interestingly, in response to EHernandez, here in Argentina (and I'd guess in most if not all of Latin America), if you go into a Chinese restaurant, they actually call potstickers and wontons "empanadas".

Edited November 14, 2005 by saltshaker (log)

[EHernandez]

The most interesting "empanadas" I saw in Venezuela..they are called "Empanadas de Pabellón"... Pabellón is the national dish that consists of shredded meat with a sauce (skirt steak), rice, beans, white cheese and sweet plantains.

Empanadas de Pabellón are made with the mashed plantains as a dough to encase all the rest (meat, rice, beans, cheese) as a filling. The empanada is then given the crescent shape and fried.

It is really good.

In the beaches in Venezuela they also have the Empanadas de Cazón. Cazón means shark. Shark Empanadas. Maybe someone from Venezuela can gives us the recipes?

[piazzola]

Empanadas de cazon is stuffed with fish indeed prepared on the beaches http://www.oyetu.com/cookin/seafood/EMPANA...0DE%20CAZON.htm

but also known as empanadas de arepa as the main ingredient is masa harina or corn flour is made of the stuff arepas or mex tortillas are made of

Pehaps I should ask my my Venezueland friend for the full recipe.

http://caracas.servebeer.com/cocina/dishes.html

I think plantains ones are from Domincan replublic

Edited November 15, 2005 by piazzola (log)

[Toasted]

Great reading. I hope someone out there will post recipes on Egullet Recipes. Especially vegetarian empanadas. I've never had one but I think I'd love it.

[pizzabrasil]

Edited to paste pictures.

Was a long time ago, I was planning to construct a wood oven.

This strong idea carried me through many Internet sites and so to a lot of food relatives.

A new path was opened to my eyes and soon I discovered myself submerged in a world of (food) senses.

The eGullet Society was one of former sites and I read it and learn with it almost each day of the week.

My oven was finished two years ago, good bread, excellent pizzas and lots of food were and are baked in it.

Nowadays, as the learning process is in advance, I feel that I could collaborate with my (little) experience exposing same of my knowledge in the eGullet forum.

I would like to thank all of you by writing here and I hope you forgive me for any type – LOL – error in the next posts.

Please, see the empanadas recipe below. There will be tips and tricks at the end of this one.

Empanadas recipe

The quantities are only representatives, and same practice will be needed to adapt the recipe to your taste, environment and oven.

Empanadas

Dough: 1 kg (2.2 lb) flour.

300 g (.66 lb) melted fat (baked) or 200 g (.44 lb) melted fat/lard (fried)

400 g (.88 lb) water.

1 teaspoon sea salt.

Filling: 200 g (.44 lb) melted fat.

500 g (1.1 lb) chopped white onions.

1 kg (2.2 lb) chopped meat.

100 g (0.22 lb) dried grapes.

6 boiled eggs, chopped.

200 g (.44 lb) of green olives.

Salt and black pepper, to taste.

To the filling,

dress with low firing, the melted fat and chopped onions in a pan with lid, until slightly brown. Maintain the onions moving. Do not let it burn.

Briefly immerse the chopped meat in boiled water until white (30 seconds max.), drain it.

Add the chopped meat and the salt to the onions in the pan. Cook until the meat be pink (rear).

Add the pepper to taste.

Apart from fire and let it to cool (warm or ambient temperature)

To the dough,

mix well the salt in the boiling water, until completely dissolved. Let apart until warm.

Arrange the flour as a ring (like a volcano, with a hole in the middle) in your counter.

Incorporate the warm melted fat/lard by putting it in the middle of the flour and mixing with your fingers.

When the grease and flour be mixed, add slowly the salted water, by little quantities each time, kneading the dough until it look smooth and shine.

Put the dough to rest in the refrigerator, in a covered bowl, by half to one hour.

Take the dough from the refrigerator and shape it in the counter with a roll pin, until 2 mm (0.08 inches) (take or left) of thickness.

Cut in circles of 13 -15 cm (5 – 8 inches) of diameter.

Finishing the empanadas,

Put a generously filled table spoon of filling in each dough disk, add some raisings, one olive and a tea spoon of chopped boiled egg.

Moistening each disk edge, fold it by the middle making a kind of half moon, with the filling inside. Seal the edge by gently pressing with a fork.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11616564..._3785_67640.jpg

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11616564..._3785_23483.jpg

To baking empanadas,

Arrange the empanadas in a clean metal dish or baking sheet, ready to go to the oven.

Let your oven reach the maximum temperature and bake the empanadas by ten minutes (take a look and retire from the oven, when the dough is pale brown with dark spots).

To fried empanadas,

Heat melted fat in a half filled pan. Let the fat get hot. Do not let it burn. Decrease the fire a little, just to maintain the fat hot.

Deep fried the empanadas by two or three at time, by one to two minutes until pale brown.

Retire and let dry over a grid.

To eat,

Use your fingers (never use fork and knife). Be carefully because the empanadas will be hot and the filling will be juicy. Do not use your better shirt 

A glass of good red wine could not be out!

Tips and Tricks:

The empanadas will be unforgettable if fried in pig fat, in place of baked in oven. There will be two important reasons: the first one will be the marvelous taste, the second one, the deeper impact in your digestive apparel. Do not eat a lot! Even if you like these too much.

Drinking fine wine is good to fight cholesterol, helps in the digestion and is a must with empanadas.

Like as all food types, several changes could be made with the dough and filling.

Some people like to add from 1 to 3 egg yokes to the dough.

A tablespoon of sugar will enhance the taste too.

More or less fat could be used, depending on you. Even, pig fat and butter could be used in 50/50% proportion. Either butter or margarine.

However, nothing replaces the taste of the animal fat.

When mixing fat and flour, the lard must not be hot, just warm, because hot lard bitter and harder the dough.

To shape the dough, it could be folded like an envelope from twelve and six to the middle, rolled, folded again from three and nine to the middle and repeating this operation one or two times. This changes the original dough appearance to a more pastry dough type.

Knead the dough just a little when is going to be fried, and work more with it when going to be baked.

The traditional sealing of the filled disks edge is by crimping it. Taking the end of the ‘half moon’ edge – the size of one inch of the perimeter - with your fingers (remembering that the disks were filled and folded by half) and gently pressing within your thumb and forefinger to seal and bend it over itself. This movement let the first inch of the perimeter folded over the second inch. Take this second inch and repeat going to the third inch. The way to go is the former inch of the perimeter overlapping the half or third part of the next inch. Go this way until completely sealed.

Sealing as above explained give structure (eat by hands) to the empanadas and the borders will be crunchy.

Do never use silverware to eat empanadas. (Do not bit your fingers or dirt your shirt too!)

The dough could be prepared in antecedence and rested in refrigerator.

The meat to be used to filling, will be a juicy one (I do not know your cuts, here we use ‘nalga’ or ‘cuadrada’, I am pretty sure that could be beef) and chopped up by knife. This is important. Chop up using a kitchen sharp knife is the big secret on the preparation of the meat to fill the empanadas. Do not cut too thin. The meat need to have ‘body’ to be sensed (or bited) when the empanada is tasted. The juice of the meat mixed with the flavor of the onions, spices and fat is the crucial point here.

The salt will be added after cooking to give flavor to the meat.

The pepper and species will be added after cooking, to avoid loose of flavor when cooking.

The empanadas will be fried with hot oil/fat, no burning oil/fat. Too much hot gives a bitter taste to the dough.

A full potato or lemon leaves could be used in the fat for frying. This is to avoid it of burning.

The empanadas will be baked at the maximum oven temperature (like pizza does).

The empanadas could be brushed with egg yoke when retired from the oven, or

The empanadas could be brushed with egg yoke before baking.

The grapes, chopped egg and olives could be left out or replaced. The above recipe is an original one.

It is possible to use a lot of different fillings, like ham and cheese, corn and gorgonzola cheese, chicken and hot pepper, and so on.

The filling could be sweet one, too. Like the traditional cheese and quince (in a piece) or sweet potato.

To make the sweet empanadas, the dough could be use butter in place of lard, fried in oil or baked and the dough could be brushed with batted egg yoke and sprinkling some sugar over it.

It is all that I can remember by now.

May be the explanation is not too great. Do not worry. Try it. There will be no regrets.

Luis

Edited October 24, 2006 by pizzabrasil (log)

[johnnyd]

Bemvindo, pizzabrasil!

I can't wait to try these, and I will definitely use pork fat!

Joaozinho

[Pam R]

PS: This thread had pictures to post with it. Could somebody help me to post the photos here? Sorry, first time posting :-)

There are step-by-step instructions for posting pictures here.

I hope there are pictures of the oven as well as the empanadas!

[Luckylies]

I wish that entire post could be my signature line.

[Domestic Goddess]

Empanadas are so much a part of my culture too. Here is a Filipino version of empanadas.

My Mother's Empanada

Ingredients:

For the filling -

1/2 kilo lean ground beef

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, peeled and minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. oil

For the dough -

4 cups of all purpose flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk (or just plain milk)

*1 cup of oil for frying, although I prefer to bake mine in the over at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the dough:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well and pour in milk and stir until everything comes together. Knead slightly until the dough is well mixed and even. Let the dough rest before rolling out thinly and cutting into large circles (use a small saucer as reference).

To make filling:

Heat oil in a large wok and fry garlic until golden brown. Add onions and fry until it sweats a little and it becomes translucent. Add the carrots and potatoes and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry for 4 minutes. Add the beef to the wok and stir-fry until the beef is nicely browned. Add the half a cup of water and let the mixture simmer until the water evaporates. Let the mixture cool before assembling the empanada.

To make the empanada:

Take a circle of dough and place about 2-3 tbsps of filling in the middle and fold over to make a crescent moon shape. Crimp the edges to seal the mixture and repeat procedure until you run out of dough or mixture.. Fry in a deep wok or frying pan (oil should be medium hot) or bake in an oven.

Optional ingredients to make the filling more special:

Boiled eggs wedges (added before sealing the empanada)

peas and raisins (added to the mixture after adding the beef to the wok)

*Frankly, I don't add raisins as they tend to make the empanadas a little sweet.

Edited October 24, 2006 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[ludja]

Thank you for posting what looks to be a great recipe, pizzabrasil--andn thank you for all the specific tips as well. These empandas sound delicious. The meat filling reminds me of a Mexican filling, "picadillo" which I've always wanted to make. I look forward to trying your recipe.

[andiesenji]

Just reading the recipe is causing me to salivate. I agree that pork fat is essential. One reason I love to shop at the Mexican markets and carnicerias here is because they have lovely pork fat and unsalted pork belly, etc.

Last year we had a rather lively discussion about the various types of empanadas in Latin America,

Empanadas

[pizzabrasil]

Thank you all!

I had posted the pictures of the empanadas making steps in my album Pizzabrasil – Empanadas recipe.

When I learn how to post the pictures directly between the recipe paragraphs, I will do.

Luis

[pizzabrasil]

The empanadas recipe was edited to paste pictures. Enjoy it.

Thanks Pam and all by your help!

[Domestic Goddess]

Pizzabrazil - now that's what I call dedication. I will def. try to make your version of empanadas. I think that will knock the socks off my boys (not to mention my hubby).

[andiesenji]

And I can estimate a few pounds and inches added to my girth.........

[Mottmott]

I'm so happy to see this topic. I make them from time to time. One thing I like about them, beyond eating them , is that they can be frozen so successfully. I usually bake mine, leaving them a tad underdone, freeze them on a sheetpan, then bag in plastic. I then finish them in the oven just befoe eating. Great for a solo household like mine and also for entertaining.

I usually just make the basic, meat, onion, potato, tomato, olive, raisin version , but hope to expand my empanada repetoire.

[Desiderio]

I had some empanadas a while back in an Argentinian restaurant in Rome , oh my if they were good , I believe I had them with corn and onion or somethin, meat ( not ground ) and chesse probably , that was longg time ago , but I still remeber the flavor ahhh ahhh ahhh, I will definately give it a try .

Thank you for posting the step by step recipe and welcome on egullet

[pizzabrasil]

Hi, all.

When in holidays, I spend some time baking and cooking, in Argentina, to my family.

Pizzas, empanadas and a looot of barbecues, of course, were to the table.

Talking a little more about the empanadas I would like to show some pictures of those including a few words to descript them.

From reading the old ‘empanadas’ thread you could know a lot of empanadas recipe and tips.

All the following pictures shows empanadas that were baked in home oven, differently that those showed in the previous thread, that were baked in wood oven at highest temperature. I had not a temperature reader in hands but I believe that the temperature was near to 250°C (480°F).

The first photo (labeled 2) shows a big empanada (torta pascualina) made with commercial dough. The dough used was ‘La Salteña’ –pastry kind- that could be obtained in several places in your country. This dough is great, and I recommend it to be used when out of time to work with dough.

The second picture (15) shows two different hands made empanadas dough after resting in refrigerator and waiting to be shaped. At left a typical one worked with lard (as in previous thread) and the pastry dough at right (white dough)

In third and fourth pictures (16-17) we have a torta pascualina (pastry) and empanadas (lard). The children had worked on these, is why the different sizes and finishing.

The two following photos (19-20) could give an ideia about the filling and finished dough after baked.

The 22 is an interesting picture to compare the results of different dough and fillings. The lard dough forms were filled as traditional. The pastry dough empanadas were filled with ham, cheese, oregano and a pinch of both pepper and salt. Just before baking the pastry dough was coated with beaten egg.

The baked pascualina filled with meat, caramelized onions, olives, ham, cheese and species is showed in pictures 24, 25 and 26. See the layers of the pastry dough in this last picture.

If somebody is interested in, both of the empanadas type, pastry and lard, were quickly consumed, in despite of more good food on the table. The jury was no capable to choose a winner, this could be a work for you, when trying this recipes LOL.

Until the next baking time!

Luis

[nathanm]

I recently traveled to Argentina and Chile, where I had some great empanadas.

In addition to the meat filled empanadas there were also some that had a corn filling - whole corn kernels and I think some egg. They were great! Does anybody have a recipe like this?