Empanada of the Month! Empanadas Mendocinas

In my former life, (before the glamour of food blogging) if you can believe it, I was a public school teacher! I taught with a lovely Argentinean woman named Carina, and we became fast friends.  We pored over lesson plans together, graded papers together, and commiserated over our difficulties together. Though neither of us are teachers now, over the years our friendship has continued. Carina and her husband Julio are both from Mendoza, like my husband. They recently invited us to their home for a tutorial on how to make authentic Empanadas Mendocinas-Mendoza style empanadas.  Now this was a lesson I wouldn't mind sinking my teeth into!

What sets Mendoza-style empanadas apart from others is that they are baked rather than fried. The typical filling is seasoned ground beef with a slice of green olive and a slice of hard-boiled egg. They are sealed with a special technique called 'repulgue', in which the edges of the empanada are folded and pressed over and over again to create a pattern. You can see this technique (as well as how to pack the filling into the empanada and seal it) in the video below. (That's Carina narrating in Spanish.)

The crusts (or shells) of the empanada are called tapas (think lids  rather than appetizers) and are sold in most Latin markets in the frozen section. They come in packets of one dozen-the best brands are La Salteña or Goya. There are two styles of tapas-estilo criolla or estilo hojaldre (which is preferable because it has a flakier crust). If you are determined to make your empanadas entirely from scratch, Layla has a great tapas recipe.

I love empanadas so much that I've decided that it's time this blog host an event! So read on for the details:

I'm hosting Empanada of the Month as a monthly event-and I'd love you all to participate! This event is all about Empanadas-whether they're sweet or savory, and here's the idea: every month I'll post a new empanada recipe for you to make at home. You make it, send me a photo, and post about it on the round-up date. The deadline to participate in this event is June 8th, 2008. I'll do a round-up on June 12th to showcase all the entries-I just can't wait to see how they turn out!! My email:rebeccatcaro AT hotmail DOT com (and please feel free to email me your own empanada suggestions, too-I'd love to use them in a future event! ) This month's recipe is the classic mendocino empanada.

Receta por Empanadas Medocinas de la familia Oliva-Quiroz

Mendocino Empanadas from the Oliva-Quiroz family

For the filling:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 cup shortening or lard (you can add less or omit this if necessary)

2 lbs. onion

3 Tablespoons smoked paprika

4 teaspoons cumin

green olives, pitted and cut into slices, as many as is necessary

3 hard-boiled eggs, cut into rounds

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste

For the construction: A glass of water 1 egg, beaten flour for the pan The meat can be made a day in advance. Put the onions, sliced finely in rounds, in a frying pan and salt them. Add the ground beef and cook, then add salt and pepper to taste. Next add the lard and mix well, so that it's incorporated-the lard, the meat and the onion together. when it's all cooked, add the crushed red pepper (to taste) and the cumin and mix well. When the mix is ready, let cook and add the paprika and stir well.

The assembly: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the tapas on a flat surface, lightly floured. With a tablespoon, put a little of the meat filling in the center of the dough round. Add a slice of the olive and a piece of the hard boiled egg.

Then moisten the edge on the top half of the round with a little water on your finger. Fold the bottom half of the dough up until the edges meet and seal with your fingers by pressing down. The empanada should have a half-moon shape.

Use the palms of the hands to pack the filling firmly in the center. Next, fold the edges with the Repulgue: using your fingertip, fold one corner of the empanada over, pressing down firmly. Go to the edge again and repeat, pressing firmly each time. Go around the edge of the empanada and you'll get a spiral pattern.

Beat an egg in a shallow dish and paint the top of each sealed empanada so that when they bake, they have a shiny, golden shell. Spread flour lightly over several cookie sheets, and place the finished empanadas on top. Put the empanadas in to bake for 12 to 15 minutes-they should be sizzling and very golden brown on top. Take out and eat very carefully while hot!

Comments

[Gretchen Noelle]

This is perfect for me. I have a dream of doing different fillings for empanadas and you are going to push me into doing them, aren't you? And here I just though you were going to share an empanada each month, but you are actually going to make us work too! I think it is great, I am totally in. These sound just like Peruvian beef empanadas. Great thinking!

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

Beautiful empanadas, and the video is really helpful in explaining the spiral technique. I've made Mexican empanadas that are similar, and also baked rather than fried.

[jen of a2eatwrite]

Lovely empanadas! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.

[Silvia]

good morning! What a great recipe is this. Thanks for posting it i really adore tapas in every way but I seldom cook empanada as i'm a little mess cooking ;-P
I adore your blog is so full of energy!
Silvia

[Laylita]

I'm having some of your cafe con leche right now and really need one of your empanadas to go with it. They look so good! I'm in a big empanada mood right now so I'll definitely be participating in the Empanada of the Month event.

[sari]

I like this baked version! I am surely going to make this one...

[Kitchen Goddess]

Wow! They look amazing, I could just delve into the screen to eat one right away :)

[Gertrude]

I love making this for my husband who is from Argentina. I will definitely participating in your Empanada of the month event. I will try out your recipe and thanks for sharing it with us.

[Shirley]

This I have to try. Count me in.

[brilynn]

I definitely wan to give these a try!

[Kevin]

Those Empanadas look really goos with their perfectly golden brown crusts.

[Rebecca]

Gretchen-haha! Can't wait to hear your ideas, and I know you'll love making these!

Lydia-I am amazed at the whole 'empanada culture'-so many fillings, so little time!

Jen- ihope you participate in the event! Yum!

Silvia-my husband says I'm a messy cook, too-but if you don't make a mess you don't get to eat! Hope you enjoy and thank you for your kind words.

Laylita-I'm sure you will make some amazing empanadas! Send me some of your favorites-What are some Ecuadoran specialties?

Sari-they are delicious-enjoy!

KG-We thought about licking the screen, ourselves! Ha!

Gertrude-where in AR is your husband from? I bet he has had this type before.

Shirley-great! Thanks for joining us!

Brilynn-So glad you are going to make them!

Kevin-thanks-a new recipe for you to test out!

[Ben]

I love empanadas. I have been making empanadas de pasta hojaldrada for years because my parents used to sell them in their restaurant. Your empanadas look just gorgeous and I will be happy to participate in this event. I am happy I found your blog on Is my Blog Burning? It's just amazing! :)

[michelle @ TNS]

1. i love things wrapped in dough.

2. any recipe calling for a pound of lard gets my attention.

fun!

[Gertrude]

My husband is from La Plata. I remember eating so many type of empanadas when we visit Argentina in 2006. I always made the empanadas with ground beef, raisins, olives and hard boil eggs. That is the kind his mother used to make for him :)

[White On Rice Couple]

Those empanadas look so good!! I've always wanted to make these!
The video is fantastic and I just love the beautiful language that is being spoken! I watched it 3 times because it's so beautiful, but I only understand one word..."bueno"!...I think that means"good"!
Bueno, Bueno, Bueno!!

[emiglia]

What a fun event! And those empanadas look incredible. Too bad I won't be able to participate this time around (I'm traveling), but I'll be sure to join in next time!

[canarygirl]

Gorgeous empanadas! I look forward to participating! :)