Spinach and Cheese Empanadas

Empanada Dough
Ingredients
4 cups flour
1-2 teaspoons salt
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
12 tablespoons lard or vegetable
3/4 - 1 cup water
2 egg yolks

shortening, chilled

Preparation

1. Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt and the sugar.
2. Blend the butter and shortening (or lard) into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with
two knives, until fairly well blended.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cups water. Stir in the 1/2 cup of water/egg mixture, a little
at a time until the dough starts to come together smoothly. Keep kneading the dough,
adding more water/egg a little bit at a time as necessary (you made need a few tablespoons
extra of water), until the dough is smooth. The dough will seem a bit shaggy until it has
thoroughly chilled.
4. Cover the dough with saran wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. (Dough can also be
kept overnight (or a couple of days) in the refrigerator) Dough should be soft and smooth,
and not elastic - if you poke a hole in it with your finger, the indentation should remain.
5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and roll into desired thickness.
6. Makes enough dough for 10-12 large empanadas.
Spinach Empanada Filling
Ingredients
1 Recipe Empanada Dough
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack,
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: About 20 empanadas

mozzarella)

Preparation

1. Make the empanada dough and let it chill for several hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Saut the onion and garlic in the olive oil on low heat until onions are soft and golden, 510 minutes.
4. Turn the heat up to medium and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted
and soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Season with salt and pepper
to taste.
5. Add the flour to a saucepan. Whisk in the milk gradually until mixture is smooth.
6. Add the butter and place over medium low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture
just comes to a boil and thickens.
7. Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture
comes to a boil and thickens. The sauce will be very thick, like a paste.
8. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Chop the cooled spinach and onion mixture. Stir chopped spinach and onions into the
cheese sauce.
10. Roll out 1/2 of the dough very to 1/4" thick. Cut the dough into 4-5 inch rounds, using a
large cookie cutter, bowl, or coffee can. Knead the scraps into a ball and let the dough
rest, covered, while you roll out the other half of dough. You should end up with about 20
to 24 rounds of dough, depending on the size.
11. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of a dough round. Brush edges of circle
with water. Fold the round in half over the filling, and press down hard along the edges to
seal.
12. Starting at one end of the pressed-down edge, fold the edge towards the middle and press
down. Move your fingers over 1/2 inch and fold the edge into the middle again. Continue
around the sealed edge of the empanada, folding the edge over itself, to make a twisted
rope effect.
13. Bake the empanadas for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and
bake for 10-15 minutes more. The empanadas should be golden brown.
14. Store baked empanadas in the refrigerator or freezer and reheat in the microwave.
Unbaked empanadas can also be frozen until ready to bake.