i drive a lot and many people can attest to that fact. and since i'm in the car most of the time, eating there is a very common thing for me. but as much as i love eating crap from fast food places, it can get tiring... very tiring. i mean yes, there are a lot of different places to go to but when you get addicted to deep fried tacos from jack in the box, you just keep coming back. yes, eating that sh*t in the car is not the easiest thing to do, it requires a lot of skill and coordination. pulling the tacos from the bag on the passenger seat, getting the hot sauce, opening the hot sauce with my teeth then throwing the little piece of plastic back into the bag, holding the taco on the right hand and the sauce on the other while still holding the steering wheel, putting the sauce and omg, i need to stop, i'm getting scared trying to write that process down. there's a reason why i'm writing this... ah yes, the empanadas.
doing all of that car stunts makes me want to eat something a little more convenient, something that would not give me a death scare whenever i'm eating while driving. then i thought about making empanadas. little pockets of heaven filled with meaty goodness that wouldn't require too much of me while driving. holding it on one hand wouldn't be much of a chore. i got real excited after the thought of that.
i also though that if i make a lot, then i can pack some for my boyfriend's lunch. hmmm. that got me more excited. the very first time i tried making these, i did it with beef which was so good. but this time around i didn't have any beef so i just used turkey, which i have most of the time. hell, they're so cheap at costco that's why.
the only issue i have with this dish is that it requires me to use so many dishes, and damn i hate washing dishes. my clean freak mother would always tell me that whenever she cooks the kitchen never gets as messy as it does when i'm the one cooking. goodness, i hate washing dishes. anyway, don't let the number of dishes required to make this recipe discourage you. i promise you, the end result will be all worth it. promise.
anyway, i made it right before i went to pick up the boyfriend from work. right before i left, i grabbed two of the freshly baked empanadas, one fore me and one for the boyfriend because he is always starving after work. the empanadas were a hit for eating while driving. i am now overflowing with ideas of what to put inside empanadas. omg! when i finally got to the hospital where the boyfriend works, i saw him walk up to the car, on the passenger side and saw my little gift for him and i saw him smile. he got in, asked what it was and i told him, he took a bite and loved it. i was happy. we got home and he ate 2 more. so i ended up making some more for his lunch the next day. without anymore delays, here's the recipe.
turkey empanadas
the crust
what you need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup or 2 sticks of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
what to do:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and ground black pepper; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
the filling
what you need
1 pound ground turkey or beef or pork
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup finely diced potatoes
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
a few dashes of hot sauce
salt and pepper
1/2 cup corn (optional)
1/2 cup green peas (optional)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp water
what to do:
1. preheat oven to 425 degrees F. over medium heat, heat up a large saute pan and drizzle oil. saute onions and garlic. when onions are translucent, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. add dried herbs.
2. add the turkey, break apart big clumps and cook until everything's lightly browned. then sprinkle sugar, add soy sauce, vinegar and hot sauce (it's up to you on how much you add, but don't go overboard). cook for another 5 minutes. don't forget to season with salt and pepper as you go.
3. if you want to add peas and corn, this would be the best time to do it. after about another 3 minutes, remove from heat and let cool.
4. cook the eggs like how you would a frittata. once cooked, chop into small pieces and mix into the cooked turkey mixture.
assembly
take each cut out circle and roll it out so it is thin, but not so thin you can see through it. put about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the circle and seal the edges. place the filled empanada on a lined baking sheet. beat egg and water together. before placing in the oven, brush the top of each empanada with the egg glaze. bake for 20 minutes.
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