Southwest Empanadas Food

SOUTHWEST BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray.
• In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, 2/3 cup water, the potatoes, carrots and onion. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix and boiling water until dough forms. On surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix, roll dough in Bisquick mix to coat; knead 20 times. Divide dough into 6 balls. Pat or roll each ball into 7-inch round. Place on cookie sheet.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture onto half of each round. Moisten edge of round with water. Fold round over beef mixture; press edge with fork to seal. Cut 3 small slits in top of each crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN EMPANADAS WITH AVOCADO DIP

Steps:

• Add all the Avocado Dip ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. May be made 4 hours ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container.
• Prepare Chipotle Chicken according to recipe directions. After chicken has rested at least 5 minutes, chop into small pieces. Set aside.
• To the same skillet you cooked your chicken (don't clean out), heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Add bell peppers and black beans and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chicken and enchilada sauce until evenly combined. Season with salt, pepper and/or hot sauce to taste.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper or line 2 smaller pans with parchment paper/nonstick mats.
• Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll out to approximate dimension of 12 x 18 inches. Cut 2 rows of 4" circles in the dough for 8 circles total. Repeat with other sheet of puff pastry. Gather dough scraps and roll out to dimensions to fit 4 additional circles. You should have a total of 20 circles.
• Place 1 1/2 tablespoons chicken mixture in the center of each circle and top with one tablespoon of cheese. Lightly brush the edge of half of a circle with egg wash and fold over, pinch edges tightly to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining circles but DO NOT dip your brush in the egg wash again until your brush becomes dry because too much egg wash will prevent the edges from sticking.
• Check each empanada to make sure there is about a finger width of dough sealed together before the filling starts. Crimp the edges together with a fork. Pierce each empanada two times with a fork so steam can escape while baking.
• Spread empanadas apart so they are not touching each other on baking sheet. Brush the tops/sides evenly with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, approximately 20-25 minutes.
• Serve with Avocado Dip
• While empanadas are lined on baking tray before baking, transfer entire baking tray to the freezer. Once frozen, add individual empanadas to a large freezer bag.
• When ready to bake, line desired amount of empanadas on parchment lined baking tray, and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

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.)

SOUTHWEST EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, mix together the beans, cheese and chicken. Working in batches, lay out the empanada wrappers on a clean work surface. Place a heaping tablespoon of the bean filling into the center of each wrapper. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon shape and press the edge to seal. Using a fork, crimp the edge to completely seal. Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheets.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 2 tablespoons water. Brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.