Chorizo And Refried Bean Empanadas Food

CHORIZO AND REFRIED BEAN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• To make dough, in medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Using fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg; stir until dough comes together.
• Place dough on work surface; shape dough into thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• While dough is chilling, in 10-inch skillet, cook and mash chorizo over low heat 6 to 8 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add frijoles de la olla with the liquid; cook over medium heat. While beans are boiling, mash with potato masher. Continue to cook until beans form a thick paste, about 10 minutes.
• To assemble and bake empanadas, heat oven to 350°F. On lightly floured work surface, roll out chilled dough with rolling pin until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out disks with bowl or cookie cutter 3 to 4 inches round.
• Place 2 tablespoons bean mixture on 1 half of 1 dough disk. Fold dough over to cover filling; seal edge by pressing down with fork. (This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.) Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Pierce top of each empanada with fork to allow steam to escape during baking. (See Tip about freezing unbaked empanadas.)
• Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Arrange fresh or frozen empanadas on cookie sheet.
• Bake on middle rack in oven 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. If after 15 minutes, bottoms of empanadas are starting to brown, move cookie sheet to top oven rack and continue to bake for last 5 minutes.
• Serve empanadas warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftover baked empanadas for a few days; reheat in a toaster oven or bake at 350°F for 8 minutes.

CHORIZO REFRIED BEANS

Steps:

• Finely chop the chorizo into small dice. In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil and chorizo. Put the pot over low heat and slowly bring the heat up to medium. Fry the chorizo for a few minutes to infuse the olive oil. Using a slotted spoon remove about 1/4 cup of chorizo, for garnish, and set aside. To the remaining chorizo in the pot add the onion and garlic and fry until both are cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid and stock and simmer to allow the flavors to come together about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Use a potato masher to mash the beans into a coarse puree. Alternatively, you could let the beans cool for about 5 minutes and carefully puree in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.

CHORIZO REFRIED BEANS

Steps:

• Heat a medium saute pan on medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until golden in color, about 6 minutes. Remove the chorizo to a drain on a plate lined with some paper towels. Add the onions to the pan with the chorizo fat. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Return the chorizo to the pan. Add the refried beans to the mixture. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and reserve for tostadas and burritos.

HOMEMADE CHORIZO, REFRIED BEAN AND CHEDDAR QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Heat the lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground pork, ancho powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cinnamon, clove and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until brown, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
• Lay a tortilla on a work surface and top evenly with 1/2 cup Cheddar. Add 1/4 of the chorizo, 1/4 of the beans and some jalapeno. Fold the tortilla in half to enclose fillings. Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients.
• Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the quesadilla, flipping once, until the cheese is melted and it is golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining quesadillas.
• Cut into triangles and serve with guacamole, salsa, chopped scallions and sour cream.