Empanadas! A Festive Use For Leftover Sunday Dinner

Winter has settled in and we have gone from using the grill outside to roasting inside.  These meals cooked inside warm the house and the soul.  One of the best uses I've found for leftover roast pork are these empanadas. The first time I made these it was for an Argentinian Wine dinner at my mom's restaurant.  They were made with plantains and other more exotic ingredients.  I love this pork and black bean version because it uses ingredients you can keep on hand.


The New Food Lover's Companion notes the word empanar is Spanish for "to bake in pastry".  These Spanish pastries are little savory filled turnovers and a delicious use for leftover meat and vegetables.  After initial baking I like to throw a few in the freezer for a delicious grab and go lunch.  There are many different filling recipes available - you can use beef, chicken, potatoes, plantains, and a variety of fruits and/or vegetables. 

Empanada Dough

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening (or a combination of both)
1 egg
1/3 cup very cold water
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar

Sift the flour and salt, set aside.  If using butter grate the butter into the flour.  Quickly mix the flour and butter with your finger tips until it resembles a course meal.  Whisk the egg, water and vinegar together.  Add to the flour mixture and stir until just mixed and the dough starts to form a ball.  The purpose of the vinegar is to make the dough tender.  The acid keeps the gluten strands from getting too long.  It also helps the dough from browning too quickly.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead a couple of times.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make the filling.


Pork and Black Bean Empanada Filling

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped white onion
1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 Teaspoons cumin
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne
1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups pork (cooked and diced)
1/4 cup dried apricots (diced) or raisens
1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Saute onion in olive oil for about 4 minutes.  Add in all the other ingredients except the apricots, lime juice and cilantro.  Cook on medium to low heat for about 4 -5 minutes.  Fold in the lime juice, apricots and cilantro and set aside.

Remove your chilled dough and put on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out dough to approximately 1/8".  Find a lid or sharp edged bowl that measures approximately 4 1/2 to 5 1/2".  I used a round glass storage bowl for my pastry cutter.  You could also cut around a clean CD with a knife (although this would take longer). 

Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk 1 egg with 1/2 teaspoon water for glazing the empanadas.

Lay circle of dough on the baking sheet, fill with approximately 2 - 3 Tablespoons of filling.  Wet the edge of your dough with cream or milk, fold dough in half over the filling and seal with a fork along the edges.  Repeat until all the filling and dough is used.  (You may need to re-roll the dough the make enough circles to use up your filling).

Pierce the tops of the empanadas with a fork, brush with egg wash.  Bake until golden brown.  You can serve with a yogurt based sauce or chimichurri.  Enjoy -