February Cooking Group Recipes - Venezuelan Empanadas

Well Ladies, it turned out well! Thanks so much to Trish, Nadia & Lucy! It was so good and we had almost 30 people! I am still full, but who wouldn't be after 4 pieces of cake (and the scrapings from the pan), 1.5 flautas and 1/2 of an empanda. Oh, and 2 servings of beans. I couldn't help myself! Anyway, on to what everyone really wants, the recipes :) I am going to list them each separately so that they are easier to search for.

Venezuelan Empanadas

Filling:

1 ½ pounds beef blade roast, cut into 4 pieces

4 bay Leaves

Kosher Salt

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ Medium Onion, diced

¼ Green Bell Pepper, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Shallot, diced

1 Scallion, chopped

2 tsp Paprika

2 tsp Sazon Completa (Spanish seasoning blend, found in the spice aisle)

¼ tsp Dried Oregano

¼ tsp Ground Cumin

Freshly Ground Pepper

Dough:

3 T Sugar

1 ½ T Vegetable Oil, plus more for greasing and frying

1 ½ T Unsalted Butter

1 T Salt

3 ½ C Pre-Cooked Cornmeal (P.A.N. Brand)

¼ C plus 2 T All-Purpose Flour

3 ½ C Hot Water

Sauce:

1 ¼ C Cilantro (leaves and stems)

½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Medium Avocado, halved, seeded and peeled

¼ Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Scallion, chopped

4 tsp White Vinegar

1 Clove Garlic, crushed

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Make the filling: Place the beef, bay leaves, 1 T salt and water to cover in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat is almost falling apart, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and shred with a fork; cool. Reserve the broth.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and shallot; cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallion, paprika, sazon completa, oregano, cumin, and ¼ tsp pepper. Add the beef and 1 C of the reserved broth and cook over medium heat until thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

3. Make the dough: Mix 3 ½ C hot water, the sugar, vegetable oil, butter and salt in a medium bowl until the butter melts. Stir in the cornmeal and flour until a soft dough forms, then knead on a clean surface until the dough comes together. Shape into 12 balls, using about ½ C dough for each.

4. One at a time, sprinkle each dough ball with water, place between two pieces of lightly oiled heavy-duty plastic wrap (a cut resealable bag works well) and roll into a 7-inch circle. Remove the top sheet of plastic and place 2-3 T filling in the center of the dough. Use the bottom piece of plastic and place the empanada on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 365 degrees. Fry the empanadas in batches until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet; keep warm in the oven.

6. Make the sauce: Combine the cilantro, olive oil, avocado, bell pepper, scallion, vinegar, and garlic in blender. Add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper and puree until smooth. Thin out the sauce with up to ¼ C water and serve with the empanadas.