March 21, 2010

Kulinarya Cooking Club: Empanadas


Empanada is something I have never done before. So when I found out it was our theme for this month, I was lost for ideas. I have no recollection of my family making this at home but we have eaten them plenty of times and always enjoyed them. My mother usually would just buy them from the bakery or order it from a neighbor who makes them from scratch. Growing up, I do remember stashing a few of these from my brothers. Sometimes I would hide them so well, I'd forget where I hid them.



So this month I tackle Empanada with the help of, what is considered by many, a classic Filipino cookbook: The Philippine Cookbook by Reynaldo Alejandro.

The recipe for Empanada is simple enough. Brown some ground beef with garlic and onions. Stir in some chopped potatoes and cook them all until the potatoes are tender. Season with S&P and mix in a few raisins. My husband is not too keen on the raisins so I omitted them :( but when I was filling the empanada pastry, I snuck in a few raisins in one just for me. :) I should have marked this one because it got lost in the fryer and just remembered it when the family sat down to eat them for lunch. So our empanada lunch became a contest for my boys on who can get the lucky empanada. :)



Empanada
as it appears in book
yields 20

1 pound ground beef (I used rib-eye)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 cup potato, diced (1 large)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup raisins (omitted)

Brown ground beef. Push meat to one side and saute garlic and onion until brown, then add onion. Mix the meat, garlic and onion, then add potatoes. Stir and cook until potatoes are tender. Season withsalt and pepper and mix in raisins.

Empanada Pastry

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 egg yolks (plus some egg whites for sealing empanadas)

Mix and knead all ingredients until dough is soft. On a floured board, roll out 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 4- or 5-inch diameter circles (use wide-mouthed jar or cup for cutting circles). Put a spoonful of meat filling in center of each circle. Fold to half-moon shape, wet edges with egg white, press and seal sides. Deep fry until golden brown and drain. Or, instead of deep frying, pies can be baked in preheated 425F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.



My family enjoyed the empanadas and have requested for more. I was not sure why I never made these before but will surely make them more often.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, Australia who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colorful cuisine. Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

Please visit my fellow Kulinarya members for their Empanada creations:
Trish
Kath
Trissa
Olive
Peach
Cusinera
Asha
Malou
Cherrie
Acdee
Valerie
Bel
Divina

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

19 comments:

SKIP TO MALOU said...

yes this is the empanada that I am familiar with.. and yeah with raisins.


i like the contest that you have with your boys.. these are what memories are made of!

and oh... i love those blue plates...

Olive said...

you did a really good job with empanadas..I love the round shaped ones. So, who got the lucky empanada? :)

Cherrie Pie said...

Your pastry looks great. LOL at the hiding them from your brothers and forgetting where they are. hehehe

Anonymous said...

I love the styling you've done here, especially the first picture. Who finally got the lucky empanada? Well, I guess at the end of the day - any one eating such delicious empanada would be lucky!!

cusinera said...

I love your first pic, ganda nang kuha! I really love this empanada theme as I have read different recipes for the dough....am like you, nobody dared to try cooking empanada at home, usually bought outside. Hehehehehe like the hiding bit, i do that too when I was small=)

Tangled Noodle said...

These are the classic empanadas that I remember - with the raisins! I have the same cookbook and will have to try this out, too. I love the parade of empanadas from KCC this month!

Isn't there something familiar in Brazil, called pastels?

A cupcake or two said...

I really like your version Caroline. Every single empanda is cute. This was a great Kulinarya challenge. Looking forward to next month.

A Canadian Foodie said...

I appologize. I signed in -and want to do this - but didn't get the message telling me what we were doing this month - or who was doing it. Can you help me understand why?
:)
Valerie
I will do it - just a little late - I guess... so sorry! I love these!

Confession Nook said...

Lovely presentation and I love the look of those circle empanadas! =) I also like my empanadas with raisins...=)

Cheers to Pinoyfood!

Trisha said...

My thoughts exactly... I never knew why I've never made them before but now finding out how easy it can be I think I'll be making these for parties or to give to friends now. And yes, I love my raisins :) I made sure I was generous with my raisins heehee! - Trish @ http://sugarlace.com

Jun Belen said...

I have been wanting to make my own empanadas!! The stuff that you buy in the stores are just way too greasy for me. I'd have to try to make it myself now that yours look so tasty!!

OvenDelights said...

These look amazing! To answer your question, I dont have the recipe on my blog but I can email you the link to the recipe. Let me know if your still interested.~Anabel~

Caroline said...

Malou, thanks,I'm making them again this time with raisins. The plates were *borrowed* from my Mom years ago, she doesn't seem to miss them, I will return only if she asks for them back. :)

Olive, thank you! Some were round because I need practice with my crimping. :) And I was getting hungry, haha. Oh and my youngest got it, he loved it so much he didn't want to give me a bite!

Cherrie, thanks sobrang matakaw ako, huh? :)

Trissa, I lucked out on that pic! It was a lucky shot, the last one right before my husband set the salad on the table. Thanks.

Cusinera, thanks! I should set my table like that more often, my boys tend to have better table manners when the table is all nice. :) They seem to like it, too! They said they were like eating at a *fancy* restaurant. LOL

Caroline said...

Tracey there are lots of recipes to try now, huh? Can't wait to make them again. Next time with raisins and another with green olives & hearts of palms which is in the Brazilian version called pastels, like you said. Thanks for stopping by.

Kath, thank you! Can't wait for next months as well. we are on a roll, aren't we? :)

Valerie, no need to be sorry & welcome to the club! Can't wait to see your creations.

Acdee, thanks & welcome to KCC!

Trish, raisins, raisins, we love our raisins! :) So glad we made empanadas, I'll be making them more often from now on.

Jun, I fried these & will try to bake them next time for even less grease!

Angela, thanks already emailed you. :)

Divina Pe said...

Your empanadas are perfect. The shape, the filling and the color. I would love to have some raisins on mine next time.

Caroline said...

Divina, looks like I need to do this again and put raisins in them. :) Thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

Looks great! I have this cookbook too. I hope I'll be brave enough to give it a go since pastries, dumplings & similar foods are not my forte!

Caroline said...

Bianca, don't think that way because I used to think that way before. Please give them a try and you'll be a pro in no time! ;)

chef_d said...

Hi, I love your blog! I am interested in joining Kulinarya. Please let me know how i can, thanks!

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