New Mexico Empanadas Recipes

NEW MEXICO EMPANADAS

Steps:

• 1. Pastry Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a fork, combine the butter and cream cheese. Sift flour over this mixture. Add baking powder, vinegar and water or milk and combine with fork. With generously floured hands, work the dough until you have a smooth resilient ball. 3 to 4 minutes, but keep working the flour into the other ingredients until the dough suddenly holds together. Flour both the table and your rolling pin. Roll out dough and cut out circles. Oil cookie sheets and place circles or sheets, add 1 heaping teaspoon of filling and carefully fold over and crimp with fork and moistening the edge with egg glaze. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Filling Directions: Boil pork. When thoroughly cooked, put in food processor until meat is shredded. Add Raisins, applesauce, sugar, nuts and spices. Mix well and proceed with direction in Empanada Pastry recipe.

NEW MEXICO FRUIT EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the dough: Mix the flour oil, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar. Add just enough water to make the dough silky. Roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick and cut with a 4-inch cookie cutter.
• For the fruit: Mash the fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Spoon 2 tablespoons of fruit on one half of a circle of dough, then fold it over to look like a half-moon. Pinch the edges with a fork to seal.
• Bake until brown, about 15 minutes, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

GREEN CHILE BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Unroll pie crusts onto a flat surface. Top each quadrant of crust with 1/2 cup of beef, 1/4 cup of cheese and about a tablespoon of chiles, making even layers and spreading ingredients to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Top with second pie crust. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, make an X across the circle, making 4 equal sections. Pinch around the edges with a fork to seal.
• Transfer empanadas to a baking sheet and make small slits in the top of each one to allow steam to escape during cooking. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

MEAT EMPANADA FILLING

Steps:

• Boil meat until tender, cool, grind fine.
• To 2 cups of the minced meat, add the spices, nuts, brown sugar.
• The filling must be moist.
• If the filling is too dry, add more apple jelly or corn syrup.
• (Cooking time includes preparation time).