Authentic Chilean Empanadas with Veggies and Cheese filling served with Chimichuri

This is going to be a lengthy post as it was the favorite part of my culinary experience in South America.  Empanadas are a very popular street food in South America (in Brazil they're called 'pastéis' or 'pastel' in singular) and Spain. Essentially, an empanada is a crescent-shaped pastry with a filling.  An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Latin American and Filipino cultures. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, and literally translates as "en-breaded", that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat,vegetables, cheese, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.
They resemble turnovers from many other cuisines and cultures, including the pasty  from the British Isle, the Samosa from the Central and  South Asia or the pirozhki from Russia. Empanadas trace back their origins to the northwest region of Spain, Galicia.  A cookbook published in Catalan in 1520, Llibre del Coch by Robert de Nola, mentions empanadas filled with seafood in the recipes for Catalan, Italian, French, and Arabian food.
Argentinian empanadas are often served during parties and festivals as a starter or main course. Shops specialize in freshly made empanadas, with many flavors and fillings. During Lent and Easter empanadas de Cuaresma fillings with fish are popular. In  Belize, empanadas are known as panades. They are made with masa (corn dough) and typically stuffed with fish, chicken, or beans.  They are usually deep fried and served with a cabbage or salsa topping. Panades are frequently sold as street food.  
Cape Verdean pastéis are often filled with spicy tuna fish. One particular variety, the pastel com o diabo dentro (literally: Pastel with the devil within), is particularly spicy, and is made with a dough made from sweet potatoes and cornmeal.
Filipino empanadas usually contain ground beef, pork or chicken, potatoes, chopped onions, and raisins (somewhat similar to the Cuban picadillo) in a somewhat sweet, wheat flour bread. There are two kinds available: the baked sort and the flaky fried type. To lower costs, potatoes are often added as an extender, while another filling is Kutsay or Garlic Chives.
Empanadas in the northern part of the Ilocos  are different. These usually have savoury fillings of green Papaya, mung beans, and sometimes chopped Ilocano sausage  and egg yolk. There have also been people who make empanada filled with mashed eggplant and cabbage, which they call poqui poqui.

The Italian/Sicilian 'Mpanatigghi are stuffed, consisting of halfmoon-shaped panzarotti filled with a mixture of almonds, walnuts, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and minced beef.  These are typical of Modica, in the province of Ragusa Sicliy. They are also known as impanatiglie or dolce di carne (pasty of meat).
They were probably introduced by the Spaniards during their rule in Sicily which took place in the sixteenth century; this is suggested from the etymology of the name which comes from the Spanish "empanadas or empanadillas" (empanada), as well as from the somewhat unusual combination of meat and chocolate, which occurs several times in the Spanish cuisine. In past centuries for the preparation of 'mpanatigghi game meat   was used but today beef is used. 
On our recent trip to South America, we had empadas everywhere, but the best one we had were in Chile. When we had gone to a vinery tour and they served the empanada made by a local Chilean lady who made them at home for all the tourists. We mainly had them with either cheese and onion or cheese and corn filling as most of them were filled with meat.
We also took an excursion tour to St. Jose de Maipo (Cajon de Maipo) to it volcanic hot springs, and on the way there was this hostel, whose owner Nadia G. is a native Chilean and was so loving and hospitable, served us hearty home made breakfast. Everything was made from scratch: Crepes, (she called them los panqueques) bread, eggs, Apricot jam and orange/apple juice, coffee. She was kind enough to give me recipe for everything that she served us. So when I came back home I sent her a message if she would share recipe for the empanadas.  She sent me a recipe for meat empanadas, I being a vegetarian followed her recipe for the dough and came up with my own filling.
I also came across the another  recipe for the dough, and both of them are without eggs.  First I will share both the recipes for dough and than  I will post the entire process of how to make them. These can be baked or deep fried but I opted for the baked version.
In South America they are served with Chimichuri,  which is very easy to make, I made my own version with cilantro of course and I will post the recipe at end of this post.





Recipe I for dough: 
Ingredients:

• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of durum wheat flour (you can just use 3 and half cups of AP flour and omit durum flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 and 1/4 cup of water

Method for Recipe I for dough:

• Combine the flours with salt in a large bowl.
• Add oil and the water and knead until dough forms.
• If dough require more water add more but dough does not have to be too soft. 
• Cover and refrigerate for at least for 10 min but can keep it in the fridge until ready to make the empanadas.

Recipe II for dough: 
Ingredients:

• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of durum flour  (you can just use 3 and half cups of AP flour and omit durum flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup of oil

• One cup of white wine heated in microwave (I used goya cooking wine)

Method for Recipe I for dough:

• Mix both the flours.
• Add all the dry ingredients, the melted butter and mix with hands until the butter and flours are well incorporated.
• Pour in the heated wine and form a dough until does not stick to hands.
• Cover it and left it stand for at least 15 min and if possible for several hours until ready to make the empanadas.

Each dough recipe yields about 12 empanadas these are of  big size, which can be served for lunch or dinner. However you can make small cocktail size empanada and that may yield more, but may need to adjust the baking time.

These large empanadas are baked at 400 F for 40 min

You will also need 1 and half table spoon of corn starch and 4 table spoon of cold  milk mixed together until smooth with no lumps.
This is  to bind the edges of empanadas together and to brush it over the empanadas before baking.
For brushing you can use only plain milk too.

You can use any filling but I came up with my own filling for vegetarian cheesy version.

I made them in two badges so kept the rest of the filling and dough in the filling and made another  badge next day.







Ingredients for filling:

• 2 onions (I used one red and one yellow)
• 5 spring onions
• 5 -6 cloves of garlic
• 1 8 oz pack of mushroom you can use baby portobello mushrooms or white snow capped mushrooms 
• One green pepper (capsicum)
• 1 Fresh Jalapeno (with veins removed)
• 1 can of sweet corn (you can use frozen corn instead)

• 10 red and orange sweet peppers (if not available you can use regular orange or red large peppers (capsicums)
• 2 potatoes boiled
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 2 tables spoon of Tjin seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• Fresh lime juice for one small lime 
• 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups of shredded Gouda cheese ( you can use any cheeses, cheddar  or Harvarti cheese)

Method to make veggie filling: 

• Chop onions, garlic and all veggies in desired shape and size.
• Drain corn.
• Boil potatoes.
• Heat olive oil in a pan.
• When heated add cumin seeds, when they crackel add italian seasoning.
• Add onions, when they become translucent, add garlic, and cook for addtional minute.

• Add mushrooms, peppers, corn and green onions.
• Cook on medium high heat for 5-6 min.
• Add boiled potatoes and mash them and mix with veggies add lime juice.
• Cook on high heat until filling is almost dry without liquid and stir in between occasionally so does not stick to pot.
• Turn the heat off and add salt and all the seasonings.
• Set aside and let it cool.

This was my way of making the veggie filling with what I had in my fridge that day but , you can be creative and may use edamame or peas, spinach or any other desired veggies that your palate desires.

While the filling is getting cool at room temp, you can start working on shredding the cheese and making dough balls and getting the corn starch and milk mixture together.

Once the filling is at temperature where you can handle it, get everything together on your working surface.
Get the baking tray ready lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven at 425 F (baking temp is 400 but one you open to place the empanadas and then you can turn the temp down to 400 when you close the oven door)

• Roll each dough ball toe round thin disk.
• Spread the corn starch and milk mixture to edge of the circle. 
• Place both the cheese on it.
• Scoop about 1/4 cup or filling on the cheeses.

• Top with cheeses again.
• Fold the disk to make crescent shape and seal the edges.  (folding away from you is easier)
• Twist and fold the edges and press with fingers, can use fork to do this.
• Do not over stuff it, if you do, the cheese may oose out, but not a big deal. 
• Repeat the process with remaining filling and dough. 

• Place the empanadas on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Brush them with corn starch and milk mixture thinly coating them.
• 6 empanadas at one time bake well in the oven.
• Bake them at 400 degrees for 40 min, howver each oven temp is different so watch it closely around 30-35 min.
• You can turn the tray around at about 30 min and bake until golden brown.

Take them out of oven and very carefully stand them up against the edge of baking sheet to let them cool and make the more crispier.
You can place them on cooling rack.
Serve hot with chimichuri or your favorite sauce.

 

Ingredients for Chimichuri:
1 small red onion chopped
1-2 red Jalapeno I used 4 red serrano peppers
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tsp of salt
1  cup of cilantro chopped
1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbs of chopped fresh oregano or 1 tbls of dry oregano
3/4 of olive oil

Method: (you can make this ahead of time)
Combine onion,   garlic, vinegar and salt in a bowl and let it sit for minimum 10 minutes.
Can leave it longer.
Mix peppers and all greens and chop coarsely or to desired consistancy in food processor with above onions, garlic, vinegar and salt.
Add olive oil.
Taste it and add more salt to your taste if needed.
Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Serve with empanadas.

Empanada information source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empanada

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License
Recipes adapted by Surekha from recipe from my dear Chelean friend Nadia G.
All photographs by Surekha.
 

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