Empanada by any other name…

I’ve always loved empanadas as a mid-afternoon snack, as I got older, it was a delicious accompaniment to the afternoon coffee or tea. Of course, I’ve only ever had them in El Salvador and had no idea that many, many other countries had their own “empanadas”. The ones that I have been lucky enough to try have all been delicious but seems like I haven’t even begun to skim the top of the empanda world… In Chile, empanadas are stuffed with a mix of beef and vegetables called pino (similar to the mincemeat filling), chicken or cheese; In Portugal, their empanadas are usually stuffed with tuna, sardines or chorizo; in Costa Rica , they are fried and filled with seasoned meats or cheese, beans or cubed potato stew; in the Philippines, their empanadas are fried as well and are filled with ground beef or chicken, potato, onion and raisins… I can almost guarantee that if you search for an empanada recipe on-line, you will get hundreds of different variations from dozens of different countries!  But, for now, let’s talk about the Salvadorean kind…

In searching the world of empandas I found that El Salvador has a very unique kind. Firstly, they are not made of any kind of flour, but the shell is actually made of plantain, and second, they are not tradionally filled with any kind of meat!  If you are fortunate enough to try an authentic Salvadorean empanada, IN El Salvador of course, you will know what I’m talking about regarding their unique-ness…. I found the following recipe in a cookbook called “Comida Tipica” (literal translation is “Typical Food” but it means “Traditional Food”) by Vilma de Escobar, who is famous in El Salvador for making our traditional dishes and writing cookbooks that are easy to follow. So, I thought this would be the best recipe to try and to post… Also, our empanadas are fried, in trying to make a healthy version I baked them with great results. Here we go:

Empanadas (makes 20-24 empanadas)
6-10 Ripe plantains (enough to get 3 cups of paste, see notes)
Custard (recipe follows)
Oil in a spray pump (you can use non-fat cooking spray but not the same results)
1/4 c. granulated sugar

In a large soup pot boil the whole plantain (peel and all) with water until soft. Once boiled (handle with care, they are extremely hot!) peel the plantains  and run them through the food processor, (I used a potato masher and did it by hand. I would suggest the food processor method for a smoother paste). 

Once the plantains are mashed and free of lumps place in a large bowl and refrigerate the paste until completely cooled (approx. 1 hour).  Once cooled, knead the “dough”. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Form small sized balls (approx. 1 to 1 1/2 in.) for each empanada and make a round by placing the ball between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic and flattening with the bottom of a plate or bowl or using a tortilla maker.

Put a tsp of custard in the middle and close the round to make a half moon, pinching the ends together. You may get some of the custard oozing out, it’s ok. You can play around with the amount of filling to your taste.
Place the empanadas on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil. Lighly spray the empanada with oil as well.
Baked in the preheated oven for 15 minutes on one side, turn them over and bake 10 minutes on the other side.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar and serve.

Custard
2 Cups of skim milk
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tbsp. corn starch
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks

Blend all ingredients (except the vanilla) in a blender for approx. 10-15 seconds. Place mixture in a saucepan and bring to a boil mixing constantly, once it thickens mix the vanilla in and remove from heat.  Let it cool. The custard can also be enjoyed on it’s own with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

NOTES: Plantains are not as hard to find as you may think. I found some in my local market. However, most of the time, they will be green and not quite ripe. So, to speed the process, keep in a plastic bag in direct sunlight for a couple of days. Remember to check on them daily because over-ripe plantains are really not pretty.
The cookbook I have is written like you were talking to your friend, or your grandma, when you ask for a recipe that they may not have written down, so I did my best to put the measurements in. (in the book they say, “enough sugar to sweeten” or “form into a ball”). The empanadas can be fried but I needed a “healthy” option for my health-conscious friends so I baked them. They turned out GREAT! In fact, I will be baking them from now on!  They were a hit at the BBQ I brought them to!
The recipe can definitely be doubled or tripled if you need more empanadas, so don’t be afraid to do so!

Today’s Quote: “Like you I love love, life, the sweet smell of things, the sky-blue landscape of January days.”
                                                                                                                              – Roque Dalton (Salvadorean Poet)