Empanada Mallorquina a la Mexicana

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Empanadas are pies originating in Galicia Spain and Portugal during the time of the Moorish occupation of Spain.  As early as 1520, empanada recipes were recorded in recipe books of Spain and they have common origin with Indian and Middle Eastern recipes.  So as you see, globalization took hold centuries before the internet.

The idea for my recipe originates from the Spanish recipe for Empanada Mallorquina.  That recipe is made with lamb, caramelized onions and a semi-soft spreadable chorizo called Sabrasada, a typical sausage from the island of Mallorca.  In my special version I use Mexican chorizo and beef.

 

 

Filling Ingredients

1 lb of sirloin beef or other tender steak.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ lb Mexican chorizo

2 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup red wine (or beer)

½ teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper

 

Chorizo Preparation

Not all Mexican chorizo is lean, so cook it separately to remove the fat.  Remove the sausage covering and fry the chorizo at medium heat for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle place the chorizo in a mesh strainer and press the chorizo with a paper towel to squeeze out the fat.  Set the chorizo aside.

 

Filling Preparation

In a 10 inch sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the smoking point and brown the meat, sprinkling salt and pepper as it cooks; remove and set aside.  In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic for several minutes.

 

Lower the heat, cover, and cook the onions slowly for 20 minutes.    Add the beef, chorizo, wine and cumin then salt and pepper to taste.  Sauté the mixture 10 -12 minutes until you reduce the liquid to half.

 

Pastry Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¾ cups cold shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

¼ cup water

2 eggs (1 for dough, 1 for brushing)

Pastry Preparation

Combine the dry ingredients and cut in the shortening until crumbly.  Add the remaining wet ingredients to the dough and press the dough together to form 2 balls then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

 

Empanada Assembly

Roll out each ball into a thin 13 inch circle.   

 

Place one on an un-greased cookie sheet and spread the filling mixture to within 1 inch of the edge.  Cover with the second dough circle, roll up the edges, and press well to seal.  Cut out a small vapor hole in the center of the pastry and brush the empanada with one stirred egg.  Bake at 350ºF for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

 

 

Notes

If you are interested in a typical Spanish Mallorcan Lamb and Sabrasada recipe, you can find it in the cookbook titled “La Cocina de Mama, The Great Home Cooking of Spain”.  The book is authored by  Penelope Casas and published in 2005 by Broadway Books, a division of Random Books.

 

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