Traditional Meat Empanaditas

 

Meat Empanaditas

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef roast

¼ lb. pork roast

¾-cup raw sugar

½-cup raisins (rehydrated in hot water)

1-tablespoon coriander whole seeds (dry roasted and ground)

1-teaspoon cinnamon

2 clove pods (dry roasted and ground)

½-cup pinon nuts

1-cup pumpkin puree or applesauce

 

Dough Ingredients:

1 ½ cups lukewarm water

½ package yeast

1-tablespoon sugar

1-teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons Crisco or palm oil

3 ½ cups unbleached flour

 

Directions: 

Cook beef and pork roasts together in a pressure cooker for 1 ½ hour.  You may also cook in a crockpot, or boil until cooked in a stove pot.  Once the meat has cooled, chop it into small pieces and add to a food processor along with the sugar, pumpkin puree, spices (I added the spices to the pumpkin for a more even distribution), and raisins.  Pulse until mixture starts to break up, then blend on high for about five minutes.  The mixture should look like minced meat and hold together when you squeeze a portion in your hand.  Put the meat mixture in a medium sized bowl and add the pinon to completely combine, set aside.

For the dough, dissolve yeast in sugar and water.  In a large bowl, add flour, salt and Crisco/palm oil.  Mix until oil combines.  Gradually add yeast water and mix until the dough comes together.  You do not need to let the dough stand or rise.  Separate dough into 1 ½-inch balls.  Roll out each ball into a 3-inch diameter circle.  Place about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture on one-half of the round and bring the other half over the filling.  Seal the empanada with a fork, or sealing tool.  Use the rest of the dough and mixture in the same manner.  Do not allow empanadas to stand too long as the dough will rise and unseal.  Fry in hot oil at 350 degrees for about 3 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking process.  They will be golden brown on both sides.  Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.  Serve warm.  Empanadas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to seven days, or frozen for up to a month. 

Note on the spices:  I dry roasted the coriander and cloves together in a sauté pan for about 2 minutes, then ground them up in my coffee grinder.  You can also grind them in a mortar.  Don’t skip this step, it really brings out the flavor in the empanadas when you roast and grind the spices.