Sweet Potato Empanadas Food

SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Dough: Cream the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed.
• When well mixed, add the flour and salt in two or three additions and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.
• Turn out the dough and knead a few times to form a cohesive ball.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for at least three hours and up to a few days.
• Filling: Peel the yams and slice them into equal-sized chunks.
• Rinse the yams off and place them in a medium pot with about two inches of cold water.
• Bring to a boil, and then simmer until tender. 15 - 25 minutes depending on the size of the yams.
• When you can slide a knife easily into the yams, remove from heat and drain.
• Add butter, cumin, salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mash together until smooth.
• Chill filling until cool. If you make the filling right after the dough, they will both be ready at the same time, or you can cover and keep in the fridge for a few days.
• Assembly:Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Divide dough in half. Roll out one half to 1/8" thickness. This will be easier if the dough has only chilled for three hours, but if it has been overnight, it is still possible, just a little harder. Do not let the dough set out a room temperature.
• Cut out circles using a 3" biscuit cutter or a glass.
• Place your dough rounds on a cookie sheet, separating layers with waxed paper. Continue with the other dough half. The remainders can be re-rolled once to no ill effect. The dough rounds can be used right away, or kept wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to two days.
• Place about a teaspoon of filling in a dough round and fold in half. Pinch the edges together to form the empanads. There is no need to seal the edges with anything other than your fingers, although the tines of a fork make an interesting design.
• Place each filled empanada on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat about one inch apart.
• Make the egg wash by beating the egg with the water.
• Brush the egg wash on each pastry being sure to cover the entire empanada.
• Make a small slit in the top of each empanada with a sharp paring knife.
• At this point, I like to chill the empanadas for an additional 10 minutes to be sure that they keep their shape in the oven.
• Bake each tray at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until they are golden. Cool on racks.

SPICY SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line one sheet pan with aluminum foil and another with parchment paper.
• Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil and prick them all over with the tines of a fork. Place the potatoes on the foil-lined sheet pan. Bake for about 1 hour, until very tender when pierced with a knife. Lower the oven to 375 degrees.
• Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle, then peel and discard the skins, placing the potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sour cream, butter, maple syrup, chile powder, orange zest, orange juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and mix well. Set aside.
• Unfold one sheet of the cold puff pastry on a floured cutting board. Roll the sheet into a 12-inch square with a rolling pin. With a sharp paring knife, cut four 5-inch circles from the pastry, using a dish as a guide and discarding the scraps. Place a heaping soup spoon of filling on each circle, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the edges of the circles with the egg wash and fold over, making half circles. Crimp the edges together with the tines of a fork. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry. Place on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Chill for 15 minutes.
• Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sea salt and pepper. Make 2 small slits in each empanada to allow steam to escape. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and browned. Serve hot.

SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Cook sweet potatoes until soft. See Note 1 for different cooking methods.
• In a shallow bowl, place sweet potatoes, peeled, and mash them with a potato masher until smooth.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and slightly golden around the edges.
• Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
• Stir in brown sugar, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for another 30 to 45 seconds till the spices are toasted and onions have caramelized.
• Add the onion mix to the mashed sweet potatoes and mix well. Keep the filling aside.
• Prepare an egg wash by whisking a large egg with a tablespoon of water.
• Unfold one sheet of the cold puff pastry on a well-floured cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll the sheet into a rough 12-inch square.
• Now, using 5-inch round cookie cutter, cut 4 dough circle from 12-inch square of puff pastry. (You can also use a dessert plate as a template and a sharp paring knife to cut out 4 dough circles.)
• Place two heaping tablespoons of sweet potato filling on each circle, leaving an inch border.
• Brush the edges with egg wash.
• Fold over the dough to create a half circle and seal and crimp the edges by pressing with a fork.
• Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt (optional).
• Cut two tiny slits on the empanadas for the steam to escape.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden.
• Serve hot with chimichurri sauce or your favorite salsa.

SWEET POTATO EMPANADA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Place on a sheet tray and poke with fork. Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes or until cooked and soft.
• Remove until cool enough to handle. Split potato and remove pulp with a spoon into a mixing bowl. Add goat cheese, pecans, green onions and cinnamon. Mix well.
• Preheat deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.
• Brush outer edges of the wonton with beaten egg. Add about 1 teaspoon to center of each wanton. Fold edges over to make a triangle and seal edges firmly.
• Fry wontons in deep-fryer. Flip and wait until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a spider and drain on a paper towel lined sheet tray.
• For the sauce:
• Mix all ingredients well together. Serve with empanadas.

PORK AND SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the pork: Combine the spices in a medium bowl. Mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the spice mixture with the pork, until completely coated, and let marinate for 2 hours. (Reserve the remainder of the spices for another time.) In a large pot add the pork and enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat pulls apart easily. Set aside to cool. Shred with a fork.
• For the dough: In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and shortening and mix. Add small amounts of the water at a time until the dough forms. Knead for a few minutes, and then wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 1 hour. After the dough rests, on a floured table roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut 4-inch disks and set aside in the refrigerator. Excess scraps can be rolled again for more disks, just allow the scrap ball to rest before rolling.
• For the filling: In a large bowl, combine the shredded pork with the sweet potato, black beans, cilantro, cinnamon and some salt and pepper. Mix well. In another bowl, mix equal parts cold water and flour to use as a binder for the empanadas. Fill the dough disks with a generous spoon of the filling, brush the outer edges with the flour and water mix and then fold over so it looks similar to ravioli. Crimp the edges with a fork and set aside for frying.
• For the salsa and glaze: In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients for the salsa. In a separate bowl combine the ingredients for the glaze.
• Preheat 3 inches of oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.
• In batches, fry the empanadas for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are golden brown. Brush the empanadas with the chipotle-honey glaze and serve on a bed of the salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and some of the glaze.

SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with a fork, and mix in the cream cheese, brown sugar if using, lemon juice, and pinch of salt until creamy. Remove the dough from the tube and separate into 4 rectangles. Working with 1 rectangle at a time, roll over the perforated lines in the dough to seal together. Cut the rectangle in half and then cut the halves into 2 triangles. Place a heaping teaspoon of sweet potato filling in the center of each of 4 triangles. Fold the dough over on each, as if you were making ravioli, and pinch the edges together.
• Continue making little triangle empanadas with the rest of the dough, 16 total. Place the triangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the preheated oven. Bake the empanadas until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. While still warm, brush the empanadas with melted butter, and then gently toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve the empanadas with tangy plain yogurt for dipping.

SAUSAGE SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Place apples and sweet potato on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt, pepper and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, 4-6 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Add apple mixture and goat cheese; stir to combine., On a lightly floured surface, roll crust to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. round biscuit cutter. Place circles 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Place 1 heaping teaspoon filling on 1 side of each circle. Beat egg and water. Brush edges of pastry with egg wash; fold circles in half. With a fork, press edges to seal. Brush with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes per batch. Freeze option: Bake and cool empanadas. Freeze cooled empanadas in freezer containers. To use, reheat empanadas on a baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven until heated through, 12-15 minutes.

BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the dough:
• Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Cut in the butter, pulsing a few times until the mixture is like coarse meal with pea-sized lumps. Add the eggs, white vinegar, and 1/3 to 2/3 cup cold water, continuing to pulse just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a work surface, form into a flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, while making the filling and yogurt sauce.
• For the filling:
• Toast the chile powder, coriander and cumin in a skillet until fragrant. Add the jalapenos, sweet potatoes and black beans. Season to taste with salt.
• For the yogurt sauce:
• Combine the yogurt, lemon juice and zest, cilantro and cumin in a small bowl and mix. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
• Portion the dough into 10 balls. On a floured work surface, roll each dough ball into a 6-inch circle. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling into the center of each circle. Brush the edges with egg wash before folding the dough over to create a crescent shape. Press and seal edges. Cut 3 slits across the top of each empanada and brush the tops of each with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with the yogurt sauce.
• Instructions for freezing:
• Follow instructions for building empanadas, but do not brush the tops with the egg wash. Place built empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put into the freezer. Once the empanadas have frozen, place them in a plastic re-sealable bag and return to the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
• Instructions for reheating:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the frozen empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk one whole egg and brush over the tops of the empanadas. Bake until golden brown and heated through, 35 to 40 minutes.

SWEET EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Cream butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl until well blended and smooth; add the flour and beat well.
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for 8 hours.
• Remove dough from refrigerator 20 minutes before using and preheat the oven to 190C, 375F, gas mark 5.
• Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick; cut into circles using a 3-inch biscuit cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of jam in centre of each circle, moisten edges with water then fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together.
• Place on un-greased baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes; while the empanadas are baking mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
• Remove from the oven and immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar.

SWEET AND SPICY EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the sauce:
• Combine all ingredients and whisk till smooth.
• For the empanadas:.
• Take the pastry sheets out of the freezer 40 minutes before your empanadas will be ready to be filled.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Peel the potatoes and dice them fairly small. Cover them with water and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or till tender.
• Meanwhile, mince the onion and place in a large bowl with the beef, all the sugar and spices, and the milk. Knead with your hands until the mixture is very soft.
• Cook the meat mixture in a skillet over medium heat until the beef is browned.
• Drain the potatoes and mix them in with the meat. Drain any excess fat. (The potatoes should soak most of it up).
• Cut the pastry into 24 equal rectangles and divide the mixture between them.
• Divide the cream cheese into 24 portions as well and squish it on top of the meat so it evenly covers.
• Fold the pastry over and seal the edges by folding or pinching.
• Place on baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.
• Remove from oven, place on serving plate, and dip in the sauce if you desire!