Tag: cilantro mayo

This was my first time making empanadas. I didn’t want to risk botching the pastry dough like I did with my attempt at fresh pasta, so I bought pre-made empanada discs. A coworker of my mine (shout to Dubs) mentioned he uses the Goya Disc brand found at his local mexican market. I went to two Mexican markets and my search was unsuccessful…but I managed to find it at my local Ralphs! Lol, well I’ll be! Anyway, I wanted to make my filling as saucy and flavorful as possible so researched a bunch of recipes online to find the sauciest one I can find. I used this recipe as a base. I did not have the seasoning packet for the sofrito they referenced; I looked up the ingredients to those items and just improvised with what I had outlined below. I also made a cilantro mayo sauce to go with it (sorry, I don’t have a photo of it).

Empanada Ingredients:

• 2 packs of Goya Empanada Discs
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3-5 gloves of garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 red potatoes, chopped
• 1 roma tomato, processed
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• Shredded cheese, Mexican style blend (optional)

Cilantro Mayo Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chopped cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 jalapeno, membrane & seeds removed
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Salt & pepper

Step 1 – Make cilantro mayo sauce:

1. Toss all ingredients into the processor and pulse until everything is processed and evenly mixed.
   1. The above ingredients are all estimates, please taste and adjust as you prep it. If you like more heat, add the jalapeno seeds. If you like it more creamy, add more mayo. If you like it more acidic, add more lime juice. If you don’t like any of it…skip to the next step. Lol.

Step 2 – Cook filling:

1. Preheat oil on a pan on medium-high heat, add onions and garlic and saute until fragrant.
2. Add bell peppers and potatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink.
4. Add seasonings and remaining ingredients.
5. Mix together and cook until it boils.
6. Cover with a lid and cook on low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.
   1. The goal at this step is to cook the potatoes through and let the sauce thicken a bit so that it’s not too liquidy in the empanada.
7. Cool meat until ready ready to handle.

Step 3 – Assemble empanadas:

1. Defrost the Goya Discs as instructed on the package.
   1. I botched one of my packages by defrosting it in the fridge; I wrongly assumed this package came with paper in between the empanada dough to separate it and prevent from sticking together when defrosted. Oops. Learn from my mistakes and be sure to read their instructions lol.
2. Beat an egg in a small bowl and set aside to brush on the pastry.
3. Lay out the Goya Discs and use a roller (or in my case – a wine bottle) to flatten it out.
4. Add about a tablespoon or two of filling (I tried to stuff as much as I can without it breaking lol)
5. Sprinkle some cheese (optional, but let’s face it…mandatory)
6. Fold over the dough and press a fork along the edges to seal it together.
7. Brush over with egg wash.
8. Place them on a baking tray lined with foil at least 2 inches apart to give them room to expand.

Step 4 – Bake empanadas:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes.

If I were to do this again:

• I’d try out the Goya Orange Discs to see how that one tastes (and will read the package instructions lol)
• I’d experiment with the filling, making some with hard boiled eggs and/or peas.

Inspiration:

My coworker made some for the team a few months back and I wanted to try making some at home. Bless his heart, he must’ve made 40+ empanadas for the team and didn’t even eat any himself because he’s on a Keto Diet (you da best, Dubs!).