Too far in between, I know! But I am back to cooking now, so hopefully I'd be able to share more recipes in the near future.
I'm not quite sure but I think I may have already mentioned in my previous post that I'm more of a cook rather than a baker. I'm not so comfortable with the strict structure of baking, like those measurements, timings, and whatever else. So I just tended to stick with cooking and leave those "dough-related" activities with everybody else in the household.
When we used to have a "mini" catering business more than two years ago, among our bestsellers are cassava cake, empanada and lumpia. The cassava was the specialty of the Expat Lola and she tends to be proprietary with her recipe so I still don't know how to make that. LOL! With the lumpia and empanada I have about 50% participation. Because, I am only engaged in cooking the stuffing. The wrapping and dough preparation, the assistants are the experts. Specially with the empanada dough it used to be the previous nanny who make it. I didn't bother because she can do it perfectly well and ---- it's hard. But long story short, she's no longer with us and we're back to COOKING FOR MONEY!!!! LOL!
I wanted to include empanada again to our menu because it used to be such a hit. But there was this "dough" problem. So as always, I turned to my mentor Mr. Google and looked for the best looking photo of empanada accompanied with the simplest recipe which I can master. And then ---- tarraaaannn!!!!
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| Finally! We made it!!!! |
There you have it ladies and gentlemen, the most perfect empanada in the whole wide world! Hahahaha!!! No, that was a lie. But I'm quite happy with how it turned out. No, that was an understatement. I'm ecstatic ---- and very proud. The dough was perfect for the perfect filling recipe I already have tucked under my sleeve. Naks! Kidding aside, this truly was an instant hit when I introduced it to the "market". That's about 20 persons, really. Our customers in our little enterprise of supplying snacks and lunches daily.
Anyways, so here's my take on the empanada that everyone loves.This recipe yields about 20 pieces.
Filling:
200 grams chicken breast, cooked
1 large potato, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 tbs raisins
1/4 cup green peas
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 pcs garlic, minced
3 tbs cooking oil
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
hard boiled egg, sliced (optional)
How to:
1. Put pan over medium heat and add oil.
2. When hot, add the onion. Saute for 1-2 minutes then add the garlic.
3. When the garlic is golden brown, add the chicken. Saute for 2-3 minutes. (Remember, the chicken had already been boiled/cooked)
4. Add tomato paste, soy sauce and tomato sauce. Saute for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper and sugar to suite your taste.
5. Add all the vegetables and the raisins. Cook until potatoes and carrots are soft to the bite.
6. Remove from pan, drain excess liquid and set aside.
Dough:
3 cups flour
3/4 cups fresh milk
120gms frozen butter, cubed
1 tbs baking powder
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
How to:
1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients then add the frozen butter.
2. Fold in the solid butter pieces and work it out with the flour mixture using your hands. Add the milk.
3. Mix until dough is soft but firm and no longer sticking to the bowl or your hands.
4. Form the dough into one big ball and wrap in plastic.
5. Put in the freezer for about 1-2 hours.
And then finally to make empanadas you'll need enough oil for deep frying.
1. Remove dough from freezer and thaw for about 15-30 minutes or until soft enough to roll.
2. Roll out the dough to about 2mm thick.
3. Scoop about 2 tbs of filling put in the center top with a slice of hard boiled egg (if using). Fold the dough to form a semi-circle. Stick the edges together then cut out the excess leaving only about half cm. to seal.
4. Using a fork, tuck the edges to seal. Repeat. Yield is about 20 pieces.
5. Deep fry the empanadas. Make sure you don't crowd the pan so as not to drive down the temperature of the oil, so fry about 2-3 pieces only at a time.
6. The the dough turns light to golden brown, remove from pan.
7. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil. Set aside to cool.
8. Serve for breakfast or snack. Enjoy!
Mommy tip: Remember, the filling is already cooked so no need to fry for too long. Remove from pan the moment the dough turns brown and crisp.
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