Per G-lato’s request…Empanadas Chilenas

One of my favorite dishes from around the world is the Empanada (Meat pockets), from Chile. I made a batch of Empanadas a few days ago. At first, I did not want to write about it, (so I do not have the step by step pictures) but per G-lato’s request, I found myself trying to compile the list of ingredients required in the recipe. The only issue is that I do not measure my ingredients. I just know how much of each ingredient I want to put, and when in doubt, I taste it and add as needed (a pinch of this, a teaspoon of that… etc.) In this case, I will try my best to give you some measurement, but keep in mind that you can add to your taste.

I was able to make 8 large Empanadas with the following ingredients, but if you prefer to make smaller ones, there should be enough for about a dozen.

You need the following ingredients for the meat stuffing:

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1 tbs. of cooking oil
• 1 yellow onion cut in small squares
• 1/3 of a large potato cut in small squares
• 1-1/2 tbsp. of cumin (you can add more of this if you prefer stronger cumin taste, but no more than 2 tbsp., or you will not be able to taste the other ingredients.)
• 1-1/2 tbsp. of ground oregano
• 1 tbsp. of paprika (optional)
• 1 tbsp. of turmeric
• 1 small box (individual size) raisins (I don’t like raisins, so I never put them)
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• 2 hard boiled eggs cut in 8 pieces each
• 2 tsp. of sugar
• 1 tsp. of pepper, and salt (to own taste).

These are the ingredients for the dough:

• 1-1/2 tsp. of baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 (8oz) bar of cream cheese (low fat or non fat)
• 1/4 cup of milk
• approximately, 2 cups of flour.
• 2 Egg yolks (to be brushed onto the Empanadas before baking)

The first step is very easy. Place the cooking oil in a large frying pan with med-high heat. After the oil warms up, add the ground beef, potato, onions, oregano, cumin, turmeric, paprika, pepper, ground garlic, and sugar. Cook this mixture until it is about 2/3 done, and then mix in the raisins, 2/3 of the olives and enough salt to your own taste. Remember: You will continue to cook the meat when you bake the Empanadas, so do not over cook the mixture at this time. Put the entire mixture into a bowl, including all its juice, oil, fat…whatever you want to call it.

Usually, the dough of the Empanadas are made with just flour, vegetable shortening, lard, among other things. Although this combination tastes sooooo good when baked, my health cannot afford to have so much fat. So, I am going to share my secret recipe with you. Instead of using vegetable shortening and lard, I use low fat or non fat cream cheese. It works well.

In a clean, dry bowl, place the cream cheese, and the soften it. Then, mix in 1 large egg, baking powder, milk and flour. Use your hands to mix the dough throughly. (The texture of the dough must be smooth to the eye.) You may need to add extra flour if the dough continues to feel sticky. Remember: The more you mix with your hand, the firmer it will get. Massage it for at least 5 minutes. Once the dough is finished, cut 8 or 12 pieces and make your Empanadas one at a time by flattening each dough, roll it into an oval shape, about 3/16″ thick. Then, place a piece of boiled egg, a little of the leftover olives, and a generous amount of meat mixture in the middle of the oval shaped dough. Here is a very important tip: Try not to scoop up a lot of fat or juice with the meat because the Empanada will become very soggy after baking. YUCKY! At the same time, if you don’t scoop enough moistened meat into the dough, the finished product will be very dry. YUCKY! Very tricky on this one.

At this time, preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Now, moisten the edge of the dough with a bit of water, and fold in half (with the meat mixture on the bottom of one side.) Once it is stuck together, twist and press the edges so it has a little pattern ( you may also use fork to create simple line patterns on the edge.) Spray a light layer of oil on baking pan before placing the Empanadas.

When you finish making your 8 or 12 Empanadas, brush the top side of each Empanada with the Egg Yolks. You can brush each twice, if you have extra Egg Yolk left. (This gives the Empanadas the golden look once it is baked.) Before placing the tray inside the oven, poke a couple of holes on the top of each Empanada so it does not pop, crack or spill all the juice while baking. The Empanadas are ready to bake for about 20-30 minutes. Tip: Bake until the top is golden, the edges are light brown, and you can hear a little sizzling sound. Please do not rush. This recipe takes a good 2 hours to create. But, it’s totally worth it. Serve hot. It’s the best!