Anabel’s Empanadas
Empanadas are a stuffed pastry, which come from Spain, Portugal, and/or Argentina. I was amazed to fairly recently learn that every culture has its own version of a “dumpling”. In Spain, the common name is “empanadilla”… Portugal is “the emapada”…Argentina is “empanada”. The fillings for empanadas vary depending on the region of origin and include a wide variety of ingredients like tomatoes, garlic and beef, or tuna, cod fish, pork loin, even sardines! I grew up in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, where a common version is the Pierogi, a potato filled pastry in the shape of a half moon/crescent. Now living in the South, its hard to come by someone who knows what a pierogi is!
and.. Anabel’s Empanadas…
Similar to the pierogi, the empanada is made by folding a dough around its stuffing. The name comes from the verb, empanar, which means to wrap or coat in bread. This made empanadas a poartable meal, carried to South America by colonists. In Argentina, “repulgue” is a term that refers to making a specific pattern to the dough that indicates which filling is inside. Argentina fillings vary by province but include spices like cumin and paprika, meats like beef, chicken and ham, or fruits and veg like raisins, olives or spinach.
Okay, Why the history lesson on Empanadas? Well a friend of mine (Mark) at work asked if I had tried his wife’s (Anabel’s) empanadas when he recently brought in some for the staff to taste. Anabel and her friend that hail from Argentina have started a small business using their own family recipes passed down through generations. I had not been at work that day and (of course) was eager to try them to review from my blog!
Mark brought in two of each for me to try, Spinach& Cheese as well as Beef Empanadas :
As you can see, the spinach has its own shape to the dough and the beef has the more traditional crescent shape. Both were delicious! I hate to ask Anabel for the ingredients because there is so much history in her recipe! I know the spinach had a cheese similar to if not ricotta cheese, but it also had a great flavor probably from onions or seasonings.
The ground beef was fantastic- filled with perfectly seasoned beef, peppers and cheese just made them melt in mouth! Anabel imports the dough wrappers from Argentina, which make these empanadas even more irresistable! I like that Mark and Anabel were able to give me directions for baking them and also let me know that the dough is not best for frying. Fried empanadas are more for festivals and celebrations. They should be made using a different dough that can withstand the high heat and oil!
I also enjoyed that they can be kept frozen and just popped into the oven for a quick 15 min + meal. It is because of this, I have already ordered a dozen of each to share with my friend this week! She is 4 weeks away (or so) from having her first baby girl and this is just going to be a great dish to have on hand for her in the upcoming weeks! I will definitely share that review next week!
I also enjoyed that they can be kept frozen and just popped into the oven for a quick 15 min + meal. It is because of this, I have already ordered a dozen of each to share with my friend this week! She is 4 weeks away (or so) from having her first baby girl and this is just going to be a great dish to have on hand for her in the upcoming weeks! I will definitely share that review next week!
Anabel is now making Ham & Cheese, Beef and Spinach. You can order them by the dozen (yes you can split 6 & 6) for $18/dozen. If you would like to order or want more information, email Mark at mross616@gmail.com !
