When I started this blog years ago, the foods of Argentina were foreign to me--I blindly tested a recipe, often without much of an idea of what the end result was supposed to taste like. After all, I was making the dishes in an attempt to replicate the flavors coming from my suegra's kitchen to make comforting and familiar meals for my new husband. The recipes were pieced together from my mother-in-law's emails and my husband's descriptions.
Now, though I'm happy to take the occasional shortcut of canned corn or pre-made dough to get dinner on the table before 9:00pm on a school night (or because real ears of corn are out of season) I've become familiar enough with the recipes of my husband's querida patria that I can make the whole thing from scratch in a reasonable time frame.
One of the things I'm happiest to have mastered is this dough. It's a simple and quick dough for tapas for empanadas or for tartas with any filling, (like Pascualina, Chard or Butternut Squash) in this case Tarta de Choclo. The recipe was inspired by Laylita's Empanada Dough for Baking. What I originally liked about it was the use of butter rather than the lard found in most traditional Argentine dough recipes; for two reasons: as an American, I found it hard at first to get over my fear of lard (which is long gone, now) and also grasa de ternera aka beef lard or tallow can be mighty hard to come by. In Denver, I only know of one small family-owned butcher that carries it, and it's an hour from where I live.
Now I've made this dough so often I feel like it's my own. I've perfected my rolling technique so that in just over an hour I can crank out 3 dozen tapas for empanadas and store them in the freezer, or use them right away. It takes some practice learning to handle the dough, but the recipe is just what a good baked pastry crust should be--flaky when baked and easy to fill and seal beforehand.
The Tarta de Choclo recipe here is more or less like the filling for the Empanadas de Humita but with the time-saving trick of using frozen corn kernels rather than grating the cob, as corn is out of season.
Masa Basica para Empanadas y Tartas Con Manteca
Basic Empanada and Tarta Dough Using Butter
adapted from Laylita’s Recipes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 egg
5-7 tablespoons water
Put the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and process until the dough and flour have combined and look like rough sand. Add egg and water, one tablespoon at a time and process until a clumpy dough forms. After the 5th tablespoon of water has been added, process until a ball has formed. If the dough is too dry and won't unite, add the additional water. If it is too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour. Remove the dough from the bowl of the food processor. Form a disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Rolling it out:
by hand:
For Empanadas: Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). Follow the directions below to fill.
For Tartas: Divide the dough in half and form two discs. Roll into two shells that fit the size of your tarta dish. Use one for the bottom, add preferred filling, and use on the top. Seal the edges together using a repulgue.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator (2 days) or freezer (3 months) to use later. If freezing, the dough can be set on wax paper on the bottom and on the top on a baking sheet and flash-frozen for 15 minutes, then removed from the cookie sheet and stored in a large ziploc bag and stored flat in the freezer for up to 3 months.
using a pasta linda or pasta maker:
For Empanadas: Set up your pasta maker as you would to roll out pasta. (Mine is an attachment for a Kitchen-Aid mixer.) Roll out a small portion of the dough (a ball about the size of your fist) until it is thin enough to fit through the machine's largest setting. Run it through the pasta maker twice, so that a long, uniform strip of dough has been formed. Change the setting to 2, and run it through again. Set the setting to 3 and run it through again. Now set it on the counter and begin cutting, probably 3 or 4 tapas can be made from each strip with a large round cutter.
Remove the cut discs of dough to a sheet of wax paper and arrange in a line. Fold the top half of the wax paper over the top of the tapas. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cut the paper between each tapa with scissors, additional tapas can be stacked in between so that each tapa is seprated by wax paper. Place the stack in a tupperware or ziplock bag. They can be used within two days in the refrigerator, or frozen in batches of one dozen in the freezer and used within 3 months.
for Tartas: Set up your pasta maker as you would to roll out pasta. (Mine is an attachment for a Kitchen-Aid mixer.) Roll out a small portion of the dough (a ball about the size of your fist) until it is thin enough to fit through the machine's largest setting. Run it through the pasta maker twice, so that a long, uniform strip of dough has been formed. Change the setting to 2, and run it through again. Set the setting to 3 and run it through again.
Once you have two or three strips of dough, place them together on the counter, overlapping at the seams about 1/2 an inch. Gently press the seams together to create one large piece of dough, then cut it to the size of your tarta dish. Repeat with the remaining dough to make the top.
Tarta de Choclo--Corn Tart
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 large (32 oz) bag frozen corn kernels, or 5-6 cups fresh kernels cut from the cob
¼ cup corn starch
½ cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup roasted red peppers, diced
Defrost the corn kernels to room temperature and drain. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the corn kernels and heat through, 5-7 minutes. Mix the corn starch into the whipping cream and add the mixture into the corn and onion mixture, stirring to combine. Add in the salt, cheese, and crushed red pepper and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed. Stir until slightly thickened and cheese has melted. Blend 1/3 of the mixture using a blender, food processor or hand blender. Return the pureed portion to the remaining corn mixture. Fold in the roasted red peppers. Let cool enough to be handled.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
For making Empanadas:
Lay out the tapas four at a time on a clean countertop, lightly dusted with flour. Put out a small glass of water for sealing the empanadas, along with a small glass with one beaten egg, for brushing over the empanadas before baking.Place a heaping tablespoon of the corn filling in the center of the empanada shell. Moisten the edge on the top half of the shell 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 by twisting the edge like so: Using your fingertip, fold one corner of the empanada over, pressing down firmly. Go to the edge again and repeat, pressing firmly each time. Move around the edge of the empanada and you'll get a spiral pattern. You can also use a fork-seal, instead. Place the finished empanadas on the baking sheet, and then gently put a few holes in the top of the empanada with a toothpick to release the heat and prevent the empanada filling from popping out. Paint the top of each sealed empanada with the beaten egg so that when they bake, they have a shiny, golden shell. Put the empanadas in to bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Take out and let cool slightly before serving, and eat very carefully while hot!
For making Tartas: Line the tarta dish with one tarta disc. Pour the cooled corn filling into the shell. Place another shell on top. Seal with the repulgue method or using a fork pressing around the edges. Cut a few vents round the top. (They can be decorative as desired, if cutting small shapes using cookie cutters, this must be done before the top is placed on.) Put the tarta in the pre-heated oven and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
As the old adage goes, "patience is a virtue". Why is a patient person more virtuous than the average person? Because no one has any patience, or at least patience is something that has to be cultivated, not a natural-born trait.
So often, part of our human nature leaves us with a nagging question in the back of our minds: "What else?" Like, is this...it? As an American, it seems even more present in my mind--we're focused on success, the perfect house that is always tidy and pretty, the coolest car, the next vacation...and we forget to be happy with all that we already have. We are doing instead of being.
I often find myself wanting to be in the opposite place of where I am. If I'm working too many hours, I miss my kids. We start remodeling, I want it done yesterday. I seem to want it all, all of the time. But really, it would be much better if I could enjoy where I am at any given time. We really do have so many choices, attitude being the most important one.
The exception to my impatience is cooking. It grounds me, makes me slow down and be present in the moment. I know that each step is an important part of the process. Each step affects the outcome, which is true with everything--care and patience is required in all things, from painting a wall to writing an article to child-rearing.
Can I claim that cooking makes me a more patient mother? Maybe not. But I know that when I'm grounded and centered, I can stop and enjoy little Nora's smile, and Esteban's all-boy busy energy. The mess and chaos don't seem that important, and neither does the car/house/vacation.
This empanada recipe is one I featured in my last empanada workshop. What I like best about it, besides the fact that it is amazingly delicious, filled with gooey cheese and fried, is that it comes together rather quickly. So something that usually seems daunting when you're a little pressed for time, like making empanadas, suddenly seems doable and satisfying. Perfect for someone who's a little impatient, you might say.
Fried Cheese Empanadas
Empanadas Fritos de Queso
makes 16 empanadas
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup milk
< ¼ cup water
16 oz. jack cheese (or other, like mozzarella)
About 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
In a food processor, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar. Add the vegetable shortening into the flour and process until fine. Heat the milk and water in the microwave in separate containers and heat until very hot, about 1 and a half minutes. Pour the hot milk into the flour mixture and process. Add half of the water and process. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if mixture seems too dry/crumbly, or add in more flour if mixture is too wet. When the mixture is combined, remove it from the food processor and turn out on to a floured work surface. Knead until a smooth, silky and maleable dough is made.
Divide the dough into 16 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Let dough rest for 5 minutes, covered with a linen towel so it doesn’t dry out . Chop the cheese into ½ to 1-inch cubes. Roll each ball of dough into a 4-inch diameter circle. Place 3-4 cubes of cheese in the center of each dough circle. Fold dough in half over the cheese to form a semicircle. Press down firmly along the edges to seal. Using the twisting repulgue technique, press along the edges to seal.
Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a deep skillet, pot, or deep fryer. Fry empanadas in batches, turning until golden brown all over. Drain empanadas on a paper-towel lined plate. Optional: dust in sugar before serving. Empanadas can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven for up to 1 hour before serving. Serve warm.
Tip: If your frying oil is too hot, it will cause the dough to open and the cheese to ooze out. Lower temp also ensures nice, melty cheese inside.
What do you do when your sweet Argentine husband confesses that he's homesick? If you're like me, you find that food--while never being quite like the real thing--brings you pretty close to home. And having that comforting flavor of home in your mouth soothes the homesick beast (even ten years, two kids and a mortgage later) for a little while.
And also if you're like me (sometimes a little loca when I get going on a recipe) you hit the farmer's market on Saturday morning and come home with 25 pounds of tomatoes. Most of those tomatoes became Dulce de Tomate, and our funky old kitchen became a virtual factory of blanching, peeling, seeding, chopping, boiling and canning.
Dulce de Tomate was one of the first recipes I posted here when I started out, and I'm embarrassed to admit that since then, I haven't made it even once. As far as the flavors of Argentina go, classics like the alfajor and chimichurri tend to get all the attention, while equally interesting and delicious treats like Dulce de Tomate are the wallflower in the corner.
So with my mother-in-law, Florencia, coaching me via Skype, those piles of tomatoes shrank into candied tomato jam, which found its way into jars and onto our pantry shelves. If you have an abundance of tomatoes this season, Dulce de Tomate is a delicious way to explore one of Argentina's unsung heroes of taste, one that will bring you--or your sweetheart--right back home.
Below is the orginal recipe I posted for Dulce de Tomate with some additional updated notes.
Dulce de Tomate
Tomato Jam
This recipe is my mother-in-law, Florencia's. She has lived on a farm almost her entire life, and in her years as a farmer's wife, has canned literally thousands of pounds of tomatoes in one form or other. Serve the tomato jam on toast or crackers. It would make a great companion to a cheese course or picadito plate with a dry sparkling white wine.
6-7 lbs. fresh tomatoes (about 2 dozen)
6 cups sugar
2 cups water
Wash the tomatoes and bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, submerge the tomatoes for about 20 seconds to blanch them. Remove to a bowl of cold water to stop the tomatoes from cooking. Peel them, cut in half and remove seeds. I found that the easiest way to do this is to use a serrated knife to remove the top, then squeeze the skin off from the bottom. Then cut them in half and squeeze the seeds out or used your finger to pull them out. Chop the tomatoes into large dice.
Weigh them--for every 6 pounds of tomato pulp, you'll need 6 cups sugar and 2 cups water. If you don't have a scale, you can guesstimate--a bag of flour weighs five pounds, so it will be slightly heavier than that. Also, a good rule of thumb for making jam is to do just one batch at a time and avoid the temptation to double the recipe--it doesn't cook as well.
Why removing the seeds is important: Florencia says this is just for looks, since sometimes the seeds turn dark and in general the jam looks prettier without seeds. However, it's fine, flavor-wise, if the seeds remain, so it's up to you.
Put the 2 cups water and 6 cups sugar in a pot on the stove top. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved in the water, making a simple syrup. When the syrup is at a boil, add the 6 lbs. tomatoes, and cook for 15-20 minutes, lowering the heat to a simmer. Be sure to watch the pot so that it doesn't boil over and it does foam! The foam can be skimmed off the top. After 20 minutes, turn the stove off and let the mixture sit for a few hours. Florencia says this is also aesthetic; the dulce de tomate takes on a shinier, more brilliant look if it goes through a cooling and re-cooking process.
After a few hours, re-heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, taking care that it doesn't stick or burn. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let cook for 1-2 hours, stirring periodically. After this time, the tomatoes should have a shininess and transparent look.
Let cool and then put it into jars. It can keep for a couple of weeks refrigerated, or can according to the manufacturer's instructions of your canning kit.
