Brisket Empanadas

Now this is fusion.  Leftover brisket from the seder and a Mexican dinner plan.  What to do?  Turn it into an appetizer.  I have always wanted to make empanadas but thought it was too hard.  I am going to assume that many of you also think certain foods are too hard to make and don’t try to make them.  I used to think that way as well.  The deeper I get into this blogging journey, I am learning that many recipes are not as hard as they look.  I was intimidated by the way they made the empanadas look so good.  All you need is a fork.  Roll the dough out thinly and when you fold it over use a fork to seal the edges. That’s it!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), chilled and cut into 12 pieces
• 1 egg
• 4-5 tbsp water
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 3 – 4 small sweet peppers, sliced
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp each smoked paprika, Mexican chili pepper, cumin and adobo seasoning
• 5 – 6 oz of Brisket

Directions:

Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.  Add the butter, egg and water until the dough comes together.  It will be a little lumpy.  Form the dough into a ball and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  (I had to run out so when I got home, I needed to let it get warm enough that I could roll it out.  Roll out the dough into a thin sheet.   Next, find a small bowl or plate and cut out round disc shapes for the empanadas.

 

 

Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan with the oil on medium heat.  When hot, add the carrots.  Cook for 3 – 4 minutes and add the rest of the vegetables.  Add in the spices and cook for 2 minutes.  Set aside.

In the same sauté pan, add the brisket.  You want to cook it for a couple of minutes to get rid of the extra liquid and to get a little charring on the meat.  Add the brisket to a food processor.  Pulse a handful of times until the beef is shredded.

Be careful not to pulse too much.  Mix the beef and the vegetables in a bowl.

To assemble the empanadas, take a good spoonful of the beef mixture and line it down the center of the dough discs.

Fold one side over to line up with the other side.  Repeat until all the empanadas are filled.  Take a fork and pinch the sides together so that the filling does not come out during baking.

We are almost done.  Now beat the egg and then brush the top of the empanadas.  The final step is to bake the empanadas in a 325 degree oven for 6 – 8 minutes.  Cook them until you get a good browning of the dough.

Serve and enjoy.