Breakfast Empanadas

by Coreen Carroll

Total Time: 2 hrs | Makes: 15 empanadas

Empanadas are popular in Southwest America, Latin America, and Latin Europe. The word stems from
the Spanish empanar, which means to bake in pastry. This Spanish and Mexican specialty is like a
turnover with pastry crusts stuffed with meat and vegetables. Less often, empanadas are lled with fruit
for dessert.
If you can make your own salsa, we suggest our Papalote-Inspired Salsa recipe. The shredded Mexican
cheese required in this recipe is up for interpretation, but if you want to stay true to the cuisine as much
as possible, choose a Mexican-originated cheese, such as asadero, a mild-tasting fresh cheese that
melts wonderfully. Substitutions would be domestic Muenster or provolone. Or, try Chihuahua, named for
the Mexican state from which it originates. Also called queso menonita for the Mennonite farmers who
rst made this cheese, Chihuahua tastes and feels like mild cheddar when fresh, and a bit more tangy
when aged. Its good for grating and stung. Mild cheddar and Monterey Jack are good substitutes.
Round out this special breakfast or brunch with a Tomato, Tomatillo, and Corn Salad with Avocado
Dressing, some smoky Black Beans (Frijoles Negros), and Mexican Hot Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts
with Marshmallow Filling.

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry dough:

2 cups our
teaspoon kosher salt
cup unsalted butter, very cold and cut into cubes
8 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

For the lling:

4 eggs, 1 egg set aside

5 ounces chorizo
1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro, nely chopped
cup Mexican cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, add to taste
 salsa and sour cream for dipping
1 tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, stir together the our and salt. Sprinkle with the butter over the top
and pulse for a few seconds, or just until the butter is slightly broken up into the our but still in
visible pieces. Then sprinkle the water over the our mixture and process it just until the mixture
starts to come together. Dump the dough onto a work surface, press it together, and divide it in
half. Press each half into a disk, and cover the disk with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to one day, or freeze for up to 1 month.

3. In a saut pan on medium heat, cook the chorizo until cooked through. Add three eggs and heat
through. Remove it from heat and let it cool. Add the green onion, cilantro, and cheese. Sprinkle
salt and pepper to taste.

4. Remove the chilled dough-disk from the refrigerator. Dust a at work surface and rolling pin with
our. Roll the dough out to at least 16-by-10 inches. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out circles and
place them on a new sheet pan. Place the dough circles in the refrigerator for ve minutes to cool
the dough again.

5. Using an ice cream scoop, add a scoop of the chorizo-egg mixture into the center of the pre-cut,
pie-crust circles. Fold each circle into a half-moon shape and secure the edges by pressing rmly.
Using a fork, decorate the edges of the empanada. This will also secure them better.

6. Work in batches so that your dough does not get too warm. As each empanada is completed,
place it onto a parchment lined sheet pan, and back into the fridge.

7. After all the empanadas are nished, mix the last egg and with water and lightly paint the egg wash
onto the tops of the pockets and place the pan in the oven.

8. Bake for about 30 minutes, depending on your oven.

SOURCE: https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/breakfast-empanadas-31814

CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved