Shallot And Date Empanadas Food

SHRIMP EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Stir together 1 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until flour is dissolved; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and tomato paste; season with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are cooked through and opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in cayenne and parsley. Stir in flour mixture; simmer 2 minutes. Turn off heat; stir in olives. Season again with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place remaining 4 cups flour in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Place butter, mayonnaise, eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons salt in well. Squeeze wet ingredients between fingers of one hand to combine. Gradually work in flour, squeezing to form a soft dough.
• Pinch off 60 cherry-size balls of dough; reserve leftover dough. Set aside 15 dough balls. Transfer remaining 45 dough balls to baking sheets. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate. Divide reserved dough into 4 pieces; set aside 1 piece. Wrap remaining 3 pieces in plastic; refrigerate.
• Transfer reserved dough balls to fifteen round tartlet molds (each 1 1/2 inch diameter by 1/2 inch high). Press down dough; it should reach just over tops. Mound 1 teaspoon filling in each mold.
• Roll out a dough piece to 1/8 inch thick. With a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 15 tops. Place over filling, pressing edges of dough to seal; trim excess. Transfer to a baking sheet. Brush tops with egg glaze. Repeat process with remaining dough balls, filling, and divided dough pieces.
• Bake empanadas until cooked through and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack; unmold. Serve warm or at room temperature.

EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the empanada dough: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the lard with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then whisk in the stock. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and knead until a dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for the empanada filling: In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and garlic salt and cook until the beef is cooked completely. Drain the grease and set the beef aside.
• In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, seasoned salt, garlic, bell peppers and onions. Cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the beef and let them love each other with fire over low heat for about 5 more minutes. The mixture should be moist but not dripping wet. Now you are ready to fill the empanadas.
• Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 4-, 5- or 6-inch rounds, depending on how large you prefer. Add some meat filling to each empanada and fold the dough over in half to enclose the filling. Use a fork to press and seal the edges closed. You can refrigerate the uncooked empanadas for up to 3 hours.
• Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry the empanadas until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.
• For the aioli dip: Mix together the mayonnaise, adobo sauce and lime juice. (The flavor will enhance if it sits in the refrigerator.)

VEGGIE EMPANADA

Steps:

• In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the vegetable shortening. Add the onions, shallots, and garlic and cook until they are soft but not browned.
• Lower the heat and add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, chopped mixed green and red peppers, parsley, wine, stock, and mushrooms.
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the carrots, zucchini, squash, and broccoli and cook until the vegetables are al dente. Add the mixed vegetables and spinach and heat through. Drain the vegetables and put them into an ice bath. When cool, drain well.
• Put the vegetables back into the pot along with the creamed corn. Mix in the red pepper flakes, paprika, oregano, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Place 1/4 cup vegetable mixture on the middle of each empanada dough disk. Avoid reaching the edges with the filling because oiliness will prevent good sealing. Slightly wet the edges, fold in half, and stick edges together. The shape should resemble a half-moon. Seal by pinching the edge between your thumb and index finger to make a curl about 5 or 6 times. Other sealing procedures like pinching without curling or using a fork to seal will not prevent the juices from leaking.
• Place the finished empanadas on the cookie sheet and brush them with the egg yolk. Cook until they are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

ROASTED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ingredients in a baking pan just large enough to hold shallots in a single layer; toss to combine. Cover with foil; bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until shallots are very tender and caramelized, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

SHALLOT AND DATE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the flour, caraway seeds, sugar, and table salt several times to combine. Add the butter and cream cheese; pulse until the mixture just begins to come together. (Gently squeeze the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add 1 tablespoon cold water.) Turn out the dough onto plastic wrap; flatten into a disk. Wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots; cook, turning occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Season with coarse salt and pepper; remove the skillet from heat.
• On a generously floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds from the dough. Brush the border of one round with water. Place 2 date quarters in the center of the round, then top with shallots, dividing evenly. Add a pinch of thyme; season with coarse salt and pepper. Bring three sides up and crimp together in the center, enclosing the filling. Pinch the edges to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Freeze 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, beat together the egg yolk and cream. Brush the empanadas with egg wash. Bake until golden brown; about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.