Empanadas and Pastelitos

[bronzeallspice]

Gorgon, try this Puerto Rican recipe for pastelillos. It looks (from the pictures) like the ones from Goya.


Check it out:

 

[dv8]

i offered to drop off a care package of my empanadas for dv8, but she never replied. ah, well. she *has to wait till next week...

sorry, things got busy here cooking for today's meal... :tired:

yes, i will wait until next week. it's surely worth it! and if i've gotten any empanadas this weekend i'd have to share. nope, no sharing, plan to eat 'em all by myself, thank you very much

 

[AlterEgo]

I lucked out this year, daughter is making/bringing the pastelitos. I'm making arepita de yuca, my hands down can't resist favorite. *Prime rib will take a back seat tonight.*

 

[the gorgon]

sorry, things got busy here cooking for today's meal... :tired:

yes, i will wait until next week. it's surely worth it! and if i've gotten any empanadas this weekend i'd have to share. nope, no sharing, plan to eat 'em all by myself, thank you very much

we can coordinate something like a Tuesday drop...Merry Christmas..

 

[the gorgon]

Gorgon, try this Puerto Rican recipe for pastelillos. It looks (from the pictures) like the ones from Goya.


Check it out:

could not get the pictures to open...

 

[bronzeallspice]

could not get the pictures to open...

Here it is:

http://cf.thenoshery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Pastelillos-de-Carne-7.jpg


http://cf.thenoshery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/pastelillos-de-carne1.jpg


Filling
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, small diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
? cup chopped recao/culantro or cilantro
1 pound ground 80/20 beef
1 tablespoon dry adobo
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 potatoes, diced
10 pimiento stuffed olives, cut in half
2 bay leaves
? cup raisins (optional)
? cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Dough
3? cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2? tsp of salt
? cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
? cup of water
vegetable oil for frying


Filling
Heat skillet at med-high, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saut? onions, garlic, and recao/culantro (or cilantro) until onions are translucent.

Drizzle beef with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with dry adobo and salt. Add beef, potatoes, olives, bay leaves, raisins (if using), water, and tomato paste to the skillet, stir until well combined. Raise heat to bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer cover and let cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and let simmer for another 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Set aside.

Dough

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

Add flour and shortening in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork cut the shortening into the flour. Add the egg and mix using a fork.

Add the water a little at a time, mixing with a fork. When done mixing the dough will be brittle, or in pieces.

Dust a work surface with flour, turn the dough out on the work surface. Press the dough together into a rough ball. Knead the dough using your palm, as if you were washing clothes on an old washboard. Knead until the dough is soft and smooth. Form into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Roll dough out into a rope about 15 inches long. (I roll, pull and squeeze) Once rolled out cut off disks about ? of an inch think. Dust your rolling pin and workspace and roll out into a ⅛ thin circle. If you have a pasta roller, you can use it to roll out the dough rounds. Lay dough rounds on prepared sheet pan and cover with a clean kitchen towel. If you need to layer, the rounds place a piece of parchment between the layers.

Assemble

Take a round of dough and place 1 spoonful of filling in the center. Be careful not to get any food along the edges or it will not seal properly. Using the tip of your fingers wet the edges of the dough with water. Fold over to make a half-moon. Pinch the dough together using your fingers, then go over it, pressing it with the teeth of a fork. Return to sheet pan and cover. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling.

Line a large plate with paper towels. Heat 1? inches of oil to 350 degrees in a large deep skillet. Working in batches, carefully place turnovers into the oil. They should almost immediately begin to puff and float, cook on each side about 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Transfer to a plate to drain and let cool.

 

[the gorgon]

Here it is:

http://cf.thenoshery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Pastelillos-de-Carne-7.jpg


http://cf.thenoshery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/pastelillos-de-carne1.jpg


Filling
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, small diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
? cup chopped recao/culantro or cilantro
1 pound ground 80/20 beef
1 tablespoon dry adobo
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 potatoes, diced
10 pimiento stuffed olives, cut in half
2 bay leaves
? cup raisins (optional)
? cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Dough
3? cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2? tsp of salt
? cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
? cup of water
vegetable oil for frying


Filling
Heat skillet at med-high, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saut? onions, garlic, and recao/culantro (or cilantro) until onions are translucent.

Drizzle beef with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with dry adobo and salt. Add beef, potatoes, olives, bay leaves, raisins (if using), water, and tomato paste to the skillet, stir until well combined. Raise heat to bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer cover and let cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and let simmer for another 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Set aside.

Dough

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

Add flour and shortening in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork cut the shortening into the flour. Add the egg and mix using a fork.

Add the water a little at a time, mixing with a fork. When done mixing the dough will be brittle, or in pieces.

Dust a work surface with flour, turn the dough out on the work surface. Press the dough together into a rough ball. Knead the dough using your palm, as if you were washing clothes on an old washboard. Knead until the dough is soft and smooth. Form into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Roll dough out into a rope about 15 inches long. (I roll, pull and squeeze) Once rolled out cut off disks about ? of an inch think. Dust your rolling pin and workspace and roll out into a ⅛ thin circle. If you have a pasta roller, you can use it to roll out the dough rounds. Lay dough rounds on prepared sheet pan and cover with a clean kitchen towel. If you need to layer, the rounds place a piece of parchment between the layers.

Assemble

Take a round of dough and place 1 spoonful of filling in the center. Be careful not to get any food along the edges or it will not seal properly. Using the tip of your fingers wet the edges of the dough with water. Fold over to make a half-moon. Pinch the dough together using your fingers, then go over it, pressing it with the teeth of a fork. Return to sheet pan and cover. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling.

Line a large plate with paper towels. Heat 1? inches of oil to 350 degrees in a large deep skillet. Working in batches, carefully place turnovers into the oil. They should almost immediately begin to puff and float, cook on each side about 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Transfer to a plate to drain and let cool.

thanks for posting the recipes. i would have to make some changes. the filling calls for two teaspoons salt. that?s too much, since it is only a pound of beef. the doughis allmost 4 cups flour, but uses only half a stck of butter. i would need to do some tweaks..

 

[dv8]

i have approximately half a ton of puero asado left from xmas so i thought i may try to make my own baked empanadas.
i found this recipe: http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/02/06/how-to-make-empanada-dough/
but in all honesty there is no way i prepare dough with this much butter, over 1200 calories in butter alone? nope. so i am thinking to use half a stick of butter plus few tablespoons of bacon grease left after making pan de jamon. i will also reduce flour to 2 cups. i think this should be fine? the filling would be shredded puerco asado mixed with fried onions and garlic.

i shall try and will report back.

 

[jstarebel]

Every year, Gaby makes empanadas around Xmas. Pastelles she makes around new years. Her empanada crusts are not made with flour but with finely grated yucca that is boiled till translucent before being balled up in a cloth and wrung untill all of the remaining water is removed. She then makes individual balls that are rolled out into discs to be filled and fried. I love these. The flavor is so much different than the flour shells. If you haven't tried these style of empanadas, you should..*

 

[jstarebel]

i guess you fry yours, then. i tried to bake some of the store bought shells here, and it cannot work, because they do not have enough butter, and they have too much egg. since the baking powder here is nothing better than chalk dust, the shells come out hard and flat, like a plastic cup.*

You're wanting the baked Jamaican patties. I love these. There is a Jamaican bakery on Anguilla that we frequent for breakfast. Gaby loves the saltfish patties, and I'm partial to the spiced beef patties. I also like the raisin sweet rolls the lady makes. Goes great with bush tea. Happy new year G.*

 

[AlterEgo]

Every year, Gaby makes empanadas around Xmas. Pastelles she makes around new years. Her empanada crusts are not made with flour but with finely grated yucca that is boiled till translucent before being balled up in a cloth and wrung untill all of the remaining water is removed. She then makes individual balls that are rolled out into discs to be filled and fried. I love these. The flavor is so much different than the flour shells. If you haven't tried these style of empanadas, you should..*

I absolutely agree, they are heads above the flour dough, you're a lucky guy. *I keep saying I'm going to make the dough, but haven't done it, this year I even printed out the recipe, lol

I just recently accidentally found frozen one pound bags of finely grated yuca in an Asian supermarket, from the Philippines. *I tried making arepita de yuca with it, and it was excellent, so maybe I'll try making the dough with it. *

 

[dv8]

Every year, Gaby makes empanadas around Xmas. Pastelles she makes around new years. Her empanada crusts are not made with flour but with finely grated yucca that is boiled till translucent before being balled up in a cloth and wrung untill all of the remaining water is removed. She then makes individual balls that are rolled out into discs to be filled and fried. I love these. The flavor is so much different than the flour shells. If you haven't tried these style of empanadas, you should..*

so raw yuca, grated, then boiled, then squeezed? no other additions like eggs, oil, flour?

 

[AlterEgo]

so raw yuca, grated, then boiled, then squeezed? no other additions like eggs, oil, flour?

Recipe here: *not much else, just salt * http://www.dominicancooking.com/72-empanaditas-de-yuca-o-catibias-cassava-pasties.html

 

[the gorgon]

i have approximately half a ton of puero asado left from xmas so i thought i may try to make my own baked empanadas.
i found this recipe: http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/02/06/how-to-make-empanada-dough/
but in all honesty there is no way i prepare dough with this much butter, over 1200 calories in butter alone? nope. so i am thinking to use half a stick of butter plus few tablespoons of bacon grease left after making pan de jamon. i will also reduce flour to 2 cups. i think this should be fine? the filling would be shredded puerco asado mixed with fried onions and garlic.

i shall try and will report back.

if you are going to bake the empanadas, 1/2 stick of butter to 3 cups flour will not cut it. *i have used that Laylita recipe before, and it is real good. if you plan to bake, and want a nice flaky crust, go with the 2 to 1 ratio of cups of flour to sticks of butter. the 1/2 stich butter to 2 cups flour is for frying.

 

[the gorgon]

You're wanting the baked Jamaican patties. I love these. There is a Jamaican bakery on Anguilla that we frequent for breakfast. Gaby loves the saltfish patties, and I'm partial to the spiced beef patties. I also like the raisin sweet rolls the lady makes. Goes great with bush tea. Happy new year G.*

Rebel, belated Christmas wishes. nice to hear from you.*

i am going to bake off a batch of Jamaican patties tomorrow. i offered dv8 a few, so let?s see if she takes me up on it.

you must have been reading my mind. i just got back from the almacen, where i bought a pound of saltfish, to try out a filling based on tunafish salad, but with saltfish instead of tuna.

 

[dv8]

dammit, looks like it there is not much wiggle room for reducing calories... i was planning 2 cups of flour, half a stick of butter and about 3 spoons of melted bacon fat (in solid form). that would bring it almost to a cup of fat for 2 cups of flour.
in any case, that's for next week because tomorrow i plan to gorge on your empanadas. ha!

 

[the gorgon]

dammit, looks like it there is not much wiggle room for reducing calories... i was planning 2 cups of flour, half a stick of butter and about 3 spoons of melted bacon fat (in solid form). that would bring it almost to a cup of fat for 2 cups of flour.
in any case, that's for next week because tomorrow i plan to gorge on your empanadas. ha!

i have a surprise in store. ha!

 

[JD Jones]

in the last two days i made six types of cookies, today i am making all-white-coconut-layer-cake, tomorrow chroatian burek and venezuelan pan de jamon. i already run out of butter. should i buy some more and go for rugelach? or am i baking mad?

also, i do not recall ever having empanadas or pastelitos for xmas dinner here.

Try substituting cream cheese for butter. Super delicious.

We make chocolate chip cookies and banana bread with Cream cheese. Knocks the calorie count waaay down, and is good for you too. -

 

[JD Jones]

I lucked out this year, daughter is making/bringing the pastelitos. I'm making arepita de yuca, my hands down can't resist favorite. *Prime rib will take a back seat tonight.*

Mine are empanadillas de yuca filled with chicken or beef. Fried till they're golden and have a slight crunch when you eat them.

We cook them in coconut oil. Good and good for you!

 

[jstarebel]

so raw yuca, grated, then boiled, then squeezed? no other additions like eggs, oil, flour?

A little salt when she boils it is all. A much healthier, tasty alternative to the flour ones.*