I just didn't get as many empanadas as I wanted while on holiday with my family in BC, since the Empanada Lady was on holiday (the nerve!). Being denied my fix, I have set out to make my own. I've made them before. They're usually not very good. These were better than *my* usual, but still not as good as Empanada Lady's.
My trusty assistant helped roll out the pastry into nice little circles, and put in a couple of tablespoons of filling, which today is ground pork, lots of garlic and onions, potatoes, peas, raisins, and seasoning. This time around, I used a couple of dollops of chili sauce, and some sweet pickle relish. I'm not too sure why.
Instead of just flattening the edges with a fork, I folded them in to make a fluted edge, which not only looks nicer, it prevents leakage. I actually learned this on youtube, of all places, in which some guy gets instructed in empanada folding by a cheerfully cantankerous lola, who at one point, I am sure, tells him "you're doing it like a white guy!". But my Tagalog is pretty rusty, so that could be misinterpretation on my part.
They didn't get quite as brown as I expected (maybe I am used to the deep brown of the fried versions) but I really couldn't bake them any longer without them turning really dry and tough. As it is they're a bit more...er, robust than I really like them. But I'm sufficiently encouraged that I am going to try them again soon, hoping to improve the pastry and pump up the seasoning a bit.
2 comments:
Mmmmm, they still look good!
They were good.
Wish we could have deep-fried them.
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