Homemade Empanadas
There are not many things we love more than crumbly pie dough so when we have leftovers from the past few days – especially if they`re not enough to make a full dish, – we like to make some pie dough, stuff them with whatever is left in the fridge and turn them into em-pie-nadas.
For this, the sooner you realize the dough is in charge, the better your em-pie-nada will be.
To begin, make sure to cube all the butter in 1 cm cubes. Put 35g in the freezer for 10 minutes and the rest of it in the fridge.
In the meantime, mix the cold water and vodka (or red wine vinegar) in a separate bowl and reserve it in the fridge.
In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugar 3 times to combine. Then add the chilled butter and pulse another 7-10 times, or until the butter is pea-sized.
Add the frozen butter and pulse another 5-10 times until it is also pea-sized.
Add 2 Tablespoons of the water mixture and pulse 5 times. Test the dough by pressing it between your fingers, if it stays together easily, it`s ready. If not, add another tablespoon and test it again until it stays together.
Remove the dough from food processor and bind it together with your hands on a floured surface. Only press it enough to form a ball of dough, moving it with your hands too much will start to melt the butter.
Roll the ball with plastic wrap and flatten it into a disc with a rolling pin. Put it in the fridge for 40 minutes and let it rest.
Remove it from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for a couple of minutes until it is malleable enough to roll it out.
Tip: Let the dough dictate when you can roll it out, if the dough is too cold, it will crack when you try to open it. If it is too warm you will feel it is too soft and it`s becoming greasy, it will need to go back in the fridge for a few more minutes.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it`s 1 cm thick. Use a mould (we used a small bowl) to cut circles. Re-roll the leftover dough and do it again until there is nothing left.
Make sure to separate each cut circle with enough flour or parchment paper so they don`t stick together. Cover and place them in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 400F.
Tip: If you have any leftover dough that is not enough to make another circle, cover with sugar and bake it with the empanadas. You will have crumbly sugar cookies!
Roll out each one of the discs even more and add your filling of choice – we used shepherds pie leftovers for some and pepperoni and cheese for the others.
Fold each circle in half carefully and use a fork to crimp the edges. You can also roll the edges into the empanada, all that matters is that they are fully sealed so the filling doesn’t come out.
Place all the closed empanadas in a baking tray with parchment paper. In a small bowl, make an egg wash by mixing one egg with a dash of water. Brush the top of the empanadas with the egg wash and bake them at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Let them rest for 5 minutes before removing them from the tray and enjoy!
Em-Pie-Nadas
Servings: 10-14 empanadas
Time: 30 minutes to make, 40 minutes to rest, 15-20 minutes to bake.
Ingredients
65g Refrigerated Butter (cubed into 1cm)
35g Frozen Butter (cubed into 1 cm)
6g Vodka – or Red Wine Vinegar
50g Cold Water
6g Milk – or more cold water
3g Salt
3g Sugar
3g of your spice/herb of choice (optional)
1 Egg
Step-by-Step
1. In a separate cup, mix the cold water and the vodka (or red wine vinegar). Reserve.
2. In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and sugar three times.
3. Combine the refrigerated butter and pulse a few times until they`re pea-sized in the flour.
4. Do the same with the frozen butter (about 5-6 pulses).
5. Add two tablespoons of the water mixture and pulse 4 times. Test the dough: if the dough stays together easily, it is ready. If not, add another tablespoon of the mix and test again.
6. Remove the dough from the food processor and shape it into a ball with your hands on a clean, floured surface. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and put it on a floured surface to open. The dough might need to rest before it`s rolled out: if t`s too hard let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes; if it`s too soft, refrigerate for another few minutes. The dough will decide when you can roll it out.
8. Roll the dough out to about 1 cm thick and use a mould to cut circles. Re-shape the leftover dough and do it again until it is all done. Separate the circles with flour or parchment paper and refrigerate for another 5-10 minutes.
Tip: If you still have leftover dough, sprinkle sugar and bake it in the same oven to make crumbly sugar cookies.
9. Roll out each disk to half the thickness. Fill it with leftovers, cheese and ham, sausage and whatever pre-cooked filling you might want, just make sure it`s fully chilled before putting it on the dough.
10. Carefully fold the dough in half and make sure to crimp the ends with a fork or by rolling it in; this will ensure the filling doesn`t come out during cooking. Put the empanadas in a baking sheet with parchment paper.
11. In a small bowl, mix the egg with a dash of water and lightly brush the top of all empanadas.
12. Bake it at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is looking golden. Let it rest for 5 minutes before removing them from tray.
