Hi, friends! Kirby here. :-)
Kat recently sat down with our friend Susan to chat about her spin on classic empanadas using our pie crust as the pastry. How delicious is that!
Check out their virtual chat here:
While the sheets of pie dough aren't currently in the Muddy's lineup, feel free to reach out if you ever need some un-shaped pie crust for your own baking adventure: orders@muddysbakeshop.com
One last HUGE thanks to Susan for being willing to sit down and share all of her empanada tips with us! :-)
Loose recipes below for 5” empanada w/ 2 Tbsp of filling and egg wash before baking:
SUSAN'S RECIPES BELOW...
Cuban Picadillo:
1 lb ground beef (I used 80/20 angus chuck)
½ cup minced white onion
½ cup small dice red/yellow or green bell pepper (I used red)
2 garlic cloves minced
½ - ¾ cup slice pimento stuffed olives (I used manzanilla)
½ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup dry sherry (I used cheap shit, lol)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
Cumin/oregano/smoked paprika (whatever spices you like about ½ tsp each)
½ cups raisins.
Sautee onion, peppers and garlic. Then add ground beef, drain the fat off and then add everything but the raisins. Cook through and add the raisins last just to heat up but not get too soggy. Cool the mixture before making the empanadas.
Chicken Mole:
½ smoked chicken from Central BBQ
¼ - ½ cup mole sauce, enough to bind the chicken without being too soupy (you can find Dona Maria in a carton at Kroger or make your own. I used Rick Bayless’ Red Mole sauce recipe) https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/classic-red-mole/
¼ - ½ cup cojita cheese, crumbled
½ cup small diced bell pepper (red/yellow or green) (I didn’t pre-cook the peppers for this one bec I wanted some snap and texture.)
Orange zest if you don’t make your own mole that already has orange zest in it.
Shred and chop the chicken into smallish pieces, but not into mush. You still want the chicken to be distinguishable. Add mole sauce, peppers and cojita cheese.
Chipotle Pork:
½ lb Central BBQ pulled pork
Chili sauce made with rehydrated Chipolte, Arbol and New Mexico or Guajillo peppers; 3-4 of each kind.
2 cloves garlic
½ cup diced white onion
1 Tbsp tomato paste
4-5 leaves of kale or collard greens, julienned
½ cup small diced sweet potato
Cute the stems off the dried peppers and use kitchen shears to open the peppers and scrape out the seeds. Toast the peppers in a dry skillet for about 30 sec on each side. Do not burn or the sauce will be bitter. Pour 1-2 cups of hot water over the peppers and let them sit for about an hour.
Put the peppers, garlic, onion, tomato paste and as much of the “pepper water” as needed to blend a smooth, medium thick sauce. Tip: dip your finger in the water that rehydrated the peppers. If it tastes bitter do not use that water, just use fresh tap water.
Parboil the sweet potato and then cut into ¼” cubes and sauté in a skillet with a little olive oil, just to get them browned and a little crispy.
Chop the pulled pork into smaller bites and warm in a skillet with the pepper sauce, sweet potatoes and greens.
Adjust seasonings, S&P, and whatever spices you like, add a little orange zest and pull off the heat to cool before filling the empanadas.
