Beef Empañadas
(yield: 15 large empañadas)
Filling:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
salt, to taste
15 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten OR water
Queso and/or salsa, for serving
Add the ground beef, onion and bell pepper to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the meat is browned. Stir in the spices and tomato paste and mix thoroughly. You may need to add a tiny bit of water in order to get the tomato paste to mix in, but don’t add much. The filling should not be wet.
Making the Empañadas:
Lay a circular wonton wrapper on a clean, flat surface. Spoon approximately 2 Tbsp. of billing onto the wrapper leaving plenty of room around the edges for sealing. Brush egg or water around the entire perimeter of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper over into a half-moon shape and press the edges together with your fingers to seal. Repeat for all wrappers.
Watch the empanada video if a visual explanation of this is more up your alley.
Frying Instructions:
In a large frying pan, heat cooking oil on medium heat. (The cooking oil should be at least a couple inches deep.) Test the oil to see if it’s ready by sprinkling flour into it. The oil is ready if the flour sizzles. Add several empañadas to the oil, being careful not to crowd them. Fry the empañadas for 5 – 7 minutes, flipping them half way through if the oil is not deep enough to cover the eggroll entirely. If you’ve used the same flours that I have, then the empañadas should brown as they fry. The golden brown color will deepen after you take them out of the oil. Remove the empañadas from the frying oil and let them drain on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Baking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the empañadas on a baking sheet and spray them with cooking spray (make sure it’s GF) or brush them with olive oil. Bake for twenty minutes, or until they’ve browned. Flip them after they’ve baked for 13 minutes.