Empanada (with Cheesy Tuna Filling)
How time flies..it feels like I just posted the leche flan for Kulinarya for February and now March's almost over which means another delicious Filipino food in spotlight. This month's theme is empanada..
Equipment
Ingredients
FOR TUNA EMPANADA DOUGH:
- 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour unbleached
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter half cup / cold / cut into half-inch cubes
- 1 pc Egg large size
- 1/3 cup Water Iced
- 1 tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
FOR EMPANADA FILLING:
- 1 pc Onion medium size / diced
- 2 pcs Tomatoes small size / minced
- 1 can Canned Tuna 6oz / drained / I used Century hot & spicy tuna
- 1/2 cup Canned Sweet Peas
- 1 pc Potato medium size / boiled & diced
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp Spanish Paprika
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- Olive Oil extra virgin / for sauteeing
Instructions
FOR TUNA EMPANADA DOUGH:
- Sift flour with salt in a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or with a blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
- Beat together the egg, water and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork.
- Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated (mixture will look shaggy).
- Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together.
- Then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together.
- Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in a plastic wrap for at least 1 hour.
FOR EMPANADA FILLING:
- In a pan, heat about 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, saute onion until transslucent, add tomatoes, cook until soft, add drained tuna flakes, add paprika, potatoes, peas.
- Cook until peas are tender, turn off heat and add cheese.
- Taste it and season accordingly with salt and pepper.
- Cool before filling the dough.
- Place the filling by the spoonful into your prepared empanada dough.
- Fold the dough and filling into a half circle shape, brush edges with water or eggwash and crimp the edges with a fork.
- Do not overfill the empanadas.
- Fry the filled empanadas in a deep fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until lightly golden.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Aternately, you can bake the empanadas in a preheated 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15-20 minutes. They should be lightly golden.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!