Empanadas

This recipe is originally from Martha Stewart a few years ago. It takes a bit of time, but the empanadas freeze beautifully. You can significantly cut the hands-on time by using Goya frozen empanada disks. Ijust tried them for the first time, and it made things soooooo much easier. (Of course, I was unable to find the disks here in town so I had R. bring some home from Florida!) The recipe made 40 little empanadas. We ate 10 for dinner last night (I am so off my weekly menu!) and I cooked another 10 for R. to take to work for lunches. That leaves 2 more meals worth in the freezer!

FOR THE FILLING
2 pounds ground pork or beef (I imagine this would work with turkey or chicken as well!)
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 jalapeno chiles, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, diced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I’m not a fan of cilantro, so I leave this out)

FOR THE DOUGH
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (do not beat until ready to bake)

1 Make the filling: In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, cook meat until no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes.
2 Add onion and jalapenos; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and tomatoes. Cook over medium until mixture has thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in cilantro. Let cool.
3 Make the dough: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add just enough cold water so dough comes together. (You can also purchase frozen empanada dough, which makes the process go a lot faster!)
4 Form empanadas. If desired, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, 2 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic; freeze in plastic bags. There’s no need to thaw these before baking!
5 To bake fresh or frozen empanadas, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with egg wash, avoiding crimped edges. Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes.

To form the empanadas:
Knead
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide in half. Knead each half 2 or 3 times to form smooth balls.

Divide
Cut each ball into four equal pieces. Cover with plastic; let stand until slightly risen, 20 minutes. Shape into balls.

Fill
On floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into an 8-inch round. Divide filling evenly among rounds, spreading it over half of each and leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Fold
Brush border of bottom halves with water; fold top halves over filling to enclose completely. Press edges to seal with your fingertips, then crimp firmly with a fork.