Empanadas – Columbia

Super yummy and crispy these are buttery pastry filled with delicious ingredients of choice but typically filled with veggies and meat and served on a fun picnic.

Empanada Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

Pinch salt

1/2 cup lard or shortening

1 egg

3/4 cup chicken stock

Empanada Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground meat of choice

1 tablespoon garlic salt

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

Oil or shortening, for frying

Aioli Dip:

1 cup real mayonnaise, such as Kraft

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

Juice of 1/2 lime

1. For the empanada dough: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the lard with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then whisk in the stock. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and knead until a dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, for the empanada filling: In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground meat and garlic salt and cook until the meat is cooked completely. Drain the grease and set the meat aside.
4. In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, seasoned salt, garlic, bell peppers and onions. Cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the meat and let it simmer on low heat for about 5 more minutes. The mixture should be moist. Now you its ready to fill the empanadas.
5. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 4-, 5- or 6-inch rounds, depending on how large you prefer. Add some meat filling to each empanada and fold the dough over in half to enclose the filling. Use a fork to press and seal the edges closed. You can refrigerate the uncooked empanadas for up to 3 hours.
6. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 340 degrees F. Fry the empanadas until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.
7. For the aioli dip: Mix together the mayonnaise, adobo sauce and lime juice. (The flavor will enhance if it sits in the refrigerator.)
8. Picnic yummy!

Empanadas are a meal wrapped in a tasty shell fun for picnics!