Caribbean Recipes – Empanadillas

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Oct. 2, 2020: This weekend, we take a trip to Puerto Rico and spotlight on a popular recipe there – empanadillas.  Here’s how you too can make it thanks to the Latina Homemaker.

INGREDIENTS

Dough-

2 cups all-purpose white flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick of butter (cold)

1 egg

3/4 or a cup of cold water

Beef Filling-

2 lbs of ground beef

Adobo (or salt & pepper)- found in the Latino products aisle

1/4 cup of Sofrito– same as above

1 small envelope of Sazon – same as above

2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

1/2 of an onion diced

1/2 green pepper diced

1/2 red pepper diced

1 small potato diced

1 cup of tomato sauce

METHOD

Dough

Mix flour, salt, butter (slice up the stick of butter first) and egg with a food processor or mixer.

Start adding water slowly until you get a nice stretchy dough consistency.

The dough shouldn’t be sticky, if it is, add more flour to the mix.

Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step is not absolutely necessary, but it does make the dough easier to work with.

Beef Filling

Season ground beef with Adobo to desired taste, add chopped garlic cloves and brown the meat in a skillet. You may also use salt and pepper instead of Adobo if you prefer.

Once meat is cooked add Sofrito, Sazon, tomato sauce, onions, green peppers, red peppers and potatoes. Let it simmer until potatoes are tender.

Take your dough and roll it out with a rolling pin. Make sure to sprinkle flour on the surface, your rolling pin and hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Once your roll the dough out, use a cup or a round cookie cutter to cut circular shapes.

Place a spoonful of beef filling on the dough and fold it shut.

My favorite method for sealing empanadillas is to use a fork. Simply press on the edge with a fork on both sides and you’re done.

Fry each side of the empanadilla in hot oil. Simply remove when the empandilla gets a light golden color.

Bon Appetite