If there is something that is truly versatile, it has got to be the empanada. I have been making these for a couple of years now, or should I say since I purchased my tortilla press. The dough could not be easier to make, and they can be stuffed with pretty much whatever you have in mind. For this last batch of empanadas, I stuffed them with shredded barbecue pork, however in the past I have used ground beef, potatoes, and peas, as well as turkey. I say these are versatile because you could use any type of vegetable, meat, fish, etc.
For the dough:
1 cup of Masa Harina
2 Tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of luke Warm Water
Pinch of Salt
That’s it for the dough! Add all your ingredients and knead it a couple of times. The consistency should be treated like dough. Cover the dough and prepare your tortilla press. For the press, I used two sheets of plastic wrap to cover each side as to prevent the dough from sticking. Take a large pinch of the dough and form it into a ball and place on the tortilla press. Press the dough to form the tortilla shape. Add your stuffing and fold over to make your seal. You could use a fork as well to pinch the edges together. Continue this process until you are out of dough. My dough made about eight empanadas, however if you decided to not use the press and roll out the dough instead, then you can tailor it to fit your own size.
Here is the big dilemma. Do I fry, or do I bake? I have done both, and as they are both good, I prefer the fried empanadas. If baking, heat the oven for 425 degrees, and bake for 20 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
