January 7,2011…This recipe has been swirling around in my head for some time now. I intended to make them for the Christmas party I’d planned in December that never materialized. It’s a great recipe, vintage Culinary Thymes, and I’ve not made them in a while.
In fact, the last time I made these was for my daughter’s first birthday some 10 years ago. I was guilty of a classic parenting mistake: the over-the-top first birthday. I should have just had a small gathering of family, but instead I catered the gig and could not resist the urge to invite many people. Sweet Maggie was overwhelmed and cried the entire time.
I remember staying up late one night to finish the empanadas. So make these when you have a little extra time. They are certainly worth the effort.
Serve them with margaritas and your favorite local brew. Add tamales, chips and queso and a salad and you’ve got a great menu for a bowl game, playoff or Super Bowl party. Enjoy! -alyce eyster
Pork Picadillo Empanadas
Author: culinarythymes.com
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Serves: 6 (24 empanadas)
Ingredients
- Filling:
- 1 Tblsp olive oil
- 1 12 oz. pork tenderloin
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 6 Tblsp chopped roasted almonds
- 3 Tblsp sour cream
- Dough:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup masa harina
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
- ½ cup plus 1 Tblsp water
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375°F. Cut pork into several pieces and place in a food processor. Process until meat is chopped into pieces slightly larger than ground meat.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and allspice to the skillet and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Add the raisins and lime juice; boil until almost all the liquid evaporates.
- Remove from the heat. Mix in the sour cream and almonds. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
- For the dough, mix flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Whisk the water and 1 egg together in a small bowl to blend. Add to the flour mixture. Knead in the bowl until a soft dough forms.
- Working with half of the dough at a time, roll out on a floured surface to ⅛-inch thickness. Using a 3 ¾-inch diameter biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds per dough half.
- Whisk remaining egg in a small bowl to blend. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Brush the edges with egg, fold the dough over and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
- Place on greased cookie sheets and brush the empanadas with the remaining egg. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa fresca.
Thanks for stopping by. Here's to great food and good thymes! -