Spicy Empanadas Recipes

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Make filling: Place chicken breast, half the onion, and the bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and poach until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, and discard onion and bay leaf. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat from the bone with a fork; set aside.
• Roast poblano chile directly over a gas flame, turning as each side blackens and blisters. (Alternatively, roast chile under the broiler.) Transfer to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; let steam 10 minutes. Remove plastic wrap; peel off and discard blackened chile skin. Remove stem, seeds, and ribs; discard. Slice chile into 1/4-inch strips; set aside.
• Finely chop remaining onion. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent. Stir in cumin and canela; cook 1 minute. Add shredded chicken, tomatoes, chipotle, poblano, and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until liquid has thickened, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; stir in cilantro and pepitas. Set aside to cool.
• Make empanadas: Break off a 1 1/2-inch ball of empanada dough. On a clean work surface, roll dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out a round of dough. (Or use an inverted glass as a guide, cutting around it with a sharp paring knife.)
• Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round; sprinkle with cheese. Using a pastry brush, moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over to seal, pressing gently. Crimp edges with a fork; set aside. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather scraps and reroll. (Only do this once, to avoid toughening the dough.)
• Pour remaining oil into a medium saucepan; oil should be 2 inches deep. Place over medium heat until oil reaches 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working with a few empanadas at a time to avoid overcrowding, fry until golden, turning once, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to drain on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. While still hot, sprinkle tops with sugar. Serve immediately with crema pura or cream on the side, if desired.

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.

SPICY BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven at 375°F Pour some cooking oil in a skillet and press cloves over the pan.nAdd chopped shallots and fry on low heat, until soft but not browned. Add a bit of salt and the chopped red chili pepper.
• Add ground beef and let brown on med-high heat. Drain the mixture put back in skillet. Add bell pepper and cook on high for about a minute.
• Turn heat to med-low and add cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, flour, and tomato sauce. Turn off the stove and let cool to room temperature.
• Now mix some worcestershire sauce (to taste, I love it and put it in practically everything, but can be omitted), vinegar, lemon juice, habanero pepper sauce (or tabasco). To add a hint of sweetness, I add tomato ketchup, about 5 tbs.Stir in chopped egg, jalapenos and cilantro. Add pepper and salt to taste.
• Let pastry thaw and cut 5" circles.
• Put pastry on baking sheet. Put about a spoonful of the meat mixture on one half of the circle. Put some beaten egg on the edges and fold. press edges with a fork. Put some more egg mixture over the empanadas for glaze. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 mins until golden brown.

SPICY EMPANADAS

Steps:

• To make the dough-.
• Cut the chilled lard into small pieces and mix into the flour with your fingers until it is lumpy and coarse.
• Don't overwork it.
• Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, while stirring it with a fork or spoon until it forms a ball.
• You will have to pick it up and form the ball, but you will still see the lard in it, a bit like streaked marble.
• It should be a little sticky, but not too.
• Put it in the fridge for an hour to chill and then remove and let it come to room temperature for one hour before you roll it.
• When you are ready to fill the empanadas, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch.
• Cut 4 inch circles with a cookie cutter, or whatever you have on hand.
• A friend taught me the secret to puff pastry dough.
• It is this-2 parts flour to 1 part lard (butter has water in it and therefore will not be flakey like lard.) You can alter the amount of dough you need but keep this simple formula and you will have success.
• You can also use ready made dough to speed things up considerably.
• To make the filling-.
• Soak the raisins in the white wine until plump, about 20 minutes, do this before you start the rest.
• Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them (yes, GRATE them on your cheese grater) by pressing down hard right down to the skins.
• Discard the skins.
• Add the contents to a blender and add the reconstituted ancho and the chipotles, juice of 1 lime and ½ of the cumin.
• Blend until smooth.
• Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, about 15 minutes.
• Drain off the excess fat and add the onions, stir until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the diced Jalapeño, and the Serranos, stir until fragrant and a bit soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the glass with the raisins, including the wine and stir, while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is evaporated and the raisins are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pressed garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the rest of the cumin, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon and salt and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add the contents from the blender, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Taste, and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
• HINT- if you use chipotles in adobo, omit the tomatoes, and use a little low-sodium chicken broth to thin the sauce, if necessary.
• To fill them-.
• Have a fork, a glass of water, and some excess flour handy.
• Dip your finger in water, and run it around the bottom half of the dough circle, on the edge, like a smiley face.
• Take a tablespoon of filling, a pinch of cheese and then fold the dough over it and press down gently, so it stays in place.
• Take the tines of the fork, dip them in flour and press down around the edges of the empañada to seal.
• Poke a hole in the top and freeze immediately.
• Adjust the amount of filling so that the empanada is not over-filled, but plump.
• Your first ones will be ugly, but with a little practice, they will turn out perfectly, and well sealed.
• This will make about 30+ empañadas, depending on how much filling you put inside.

SPICY EMPANADAS TAPAS

Steps:

• Remove casings and chop linguica.
• Sauté onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add all remaining ingredients except pie crust and egg; cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes more and set aside.
• Unroll pie crust and cut into circles with a 3-inch cutter.
• Gather scraps, then reroll and cut into circles on a lightly floured board. Preheat oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place a small spoonful of meat mixture onto half of each dough circle.
• Moisten edges with water and fold over to enclose filling; pinch edges to seal. Place on baking sheets and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

SPICY TUNA EMPANADAS

Steps:

• In medium bowl, place tuna, chilies, olives, cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Toss lightly with fork, add 1/4 cup of salsa; toss again and set aside.
• Follow direction on pie crust package. Unfold the crust; cut 4 circles 4 inches each out of each crust. Place the 8 circles on a foil covered baking sheet. Wet the edges of each circle with water. Top each circle with 1/4 cup of lightly packed tuna mixture. Top each with remaining circles (you may have to stretch the top piece slightly to fit). Press edges together and crimp with a fork. Cut slits in top of crust for venting.
• Bake at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve with additional salsa.