Empanadas, from Latin American cultures, are a type of baked or fried pastry filled with meat, cheese, corn, or other ingredients. From Spanish it literally translates to “enbreaded“, meaning wrapped or coated in bread. Many different varieties exist in the world but it is believed that it originates from Galicia, Spain. A special dipping sauce goes with it to complete the taste. We made vegan, vegetarian and meat versions. Here I give you recipes that we made, but there are so many other options! You can make savory and sweet empanadas, add your favourite meat, cheese, pie filling, chocolate, fruit… whatever you want! It is great for parties and when you need a harthy dish for yourself. You can make it in advance and freeze both the dough and the filling, even the whole assembled empanada. Then when you want it, just pop them frozen in the oven and they will soon be ready! Experiment, get creative and let us know how it went! 

Ingredients

Dough

• • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup masa harina (fine corn flour)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½  cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled – OR ½ cup oil for vegan version! 
  • 1 cup water, might be less
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash – OR 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted for vegan version! OR 1l frying oil if you want to fry them

Vegan filling

• • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
  • ½ cup corn
  • 1 tsp granulated onion
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cube vegetable soup
  • 1 cup water

Meat filling

• • Everything from the vegan filling
  • 1 kg lean ground beef
  • ½ chorizo sausage, diced

Dipping sauce

• • ½ cup sour cream OR cooked beans
  • ½ cup mayonnaise OR cooked chickpeas
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • handful of cilantro / parsley
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Method

Dough 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the melted butter (or oil) and water. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mix, and then the rest gradually. Mix well, cover and chill for 30 minutes. When the dough is cold, transfer it to the working surface and start kneading with your hands until it is easy to handle and not sticky. If it gets sticky just add a bit of masa harina or flour. Spread the dough with a rolling pin (if you don’t have one use empty clean wine bottle) into a thin layer (5mm) and cut out round shapes with a glass. 

Vegan filling

While the dough is resting, use a large pan to cook the onion and garlic with some oil. When the onions become translucent, add the diced red and green bell pepper, corn and diced potatoes. Cook for another five minutes stirring occasionally. Make a mix of all spices and add it to the mix. In a small bowl add tomato paste, a cup of hot water and a vegetarian soup cube. Mix to dissolve the cube and add to the pan. Mix thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture is soft. Try and add spices by taste. Allow the filling to cool before stuffing the empanadas.

Meat filling

At the last stage of cooking the vegan filling, add the beef and chorizo sausage. Cook until the meat changes color to dark brown. It may not be completely done at this stage, but it will continue to cook in the oven.   

Assembling and cooking

When you have your dough cut out and the filling cooked, you are ready to assemble the empanada. Prepare a baking tray with some parchment paper if you want to bake them. This way is healthier and equally delicious. You can also fry them, in this case heat up a pot with frying oil. Hold the round dough on your palm and add a spoonful of the filling. Close the dough in half like a book to make a half-moon empanada. Pinch the rim with your fingers and make sure you don’t break the dough and that the filling is tightly packed. Put the empanada on the side on a tray and crimp the edge so that it is closed well. You can make any shape actually.

Whisk an egg and a bit of water to create the egg wash. For the vegan version, melt some coconut oil. Brush each empanada liberally with the wash and bake in a preheated 250°C oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. If you are frying them, you don’t need the wash, but you should put them in boiling oil until golden brown and crunchy. Serve with your dipping sauce of choice. 

Dipping sauce

We made this creamy parsley sauce but you can use tomato sauce for the vegan version. There are so many possibilities so just be creative. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the spices accordingly. Store in a container in the fridge until ready to use. This sauce can be used for dressings, as a dipping sauce for many different things and as a meat marinade. 

Dumplings are another variety of filled dough, commonly made by chinese families for Chinese New Years Eve. We made vegan and meat versions. They can be fried, cooked or steamed. Soy and vinegar sauce is again the indispensable addition for the full experience. Like empanadas, they can be premade and frozen to be used immediately when you want them.

Ingredients

Dough

• • 2 cups flour
  • ¾ cup hot water
  • 1tsp salt

Vegan filling

• • ½ small cabbage
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2 cups soy sprouts
  • ¼ celery root
  • 1 cup parsley
  • Whichever veggies you like
  • 2 tbsp chives
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

Meat filling

• • 1 kg minced mixed meet (or pork only)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp chives
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 egg

Dipping sauce

• • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp sesame oil
  • chili flakes
  • ½ tsp Sriracha
  • sesame seeds

Method

Dough

I usually buy frozen dough wrappers in a Chinese supermarket, ready to be filled. You can get it for less than 3 euros for 50 wrappers, which makes the whole process much easier! You just need to defrost them, fill and cook. But as I do like to make things from scratch, when I have time, I make my own dough. 

For this you need to put the flour in a bowl and add salt. Make a well in the middle, add a bit of water and start mixing with a wooden spoon. While mixing add water in the steady flow. 

Use the cold water for the dough if you plan to boil your dumplings. If you want to make steamed or fried dumplings, you can use boiled hot water for the dough. When you can’t mix it anymore with a spoon, get your hands working. It has to be soft and smooth dough. When you achieve this, leave it aside to rest for 30 minutes and make the filling. To make the wrappers, take a piece of the dough and spread it very thinly (3mm) on a floured surface, using a rolling pin. Cut out round shapes with a glass. 

Vegan filling

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Meat filling

Mix meat, garlic, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. You wrap the raw meat you don’t need to cook it first.

Assembling and cooking

Take a wrapper in your hand and wet the edge all around with your finger and some water. Put a teaspoon of filling in the middle, pack it tightly and close the wrapper in half. Press the edges against each other to close firmly. To make sure they don’t open, take the edge and make ruffles, pressing them some more. You can also make a drop or sack shape.

• • You can fry them in a pan with some oil until one side becomes golden brown, then add a cup of water to the pan and cover for 10-15 minutes to cook throughout. 
  • You can cook them in a pot of water (for these make sure you use cold water when making the dough). Drop them in boiling water and wait for them to float. This means they are done and you can take them out.
  • And you can steam them. Usually a bamboo pot with a lid is used for this, which you put on top of a pot with boiling water. You can buy bamboo steamers in a Chinese supermarket. Alternatively, instead of the bamboo steamer, you can use a pot with holes and a lid. Make sure you line the pot with some parchment paper with holes so the dumplings don’t stick. Also make sure you arrange them so they do not touch each other. Once they become translucent they are done.

Dipping sauce

Warm the water, vinegar and soy sauce in a saucepan. In a small bowl mix sesame oil, seeds and chili flakes. Pour hot sauce over and mix.

Traditional Serbian desert – a plum dumpling is a potato-based dough filled with a whole plum and then cooked in water and coated in breadcrumbs. It is served with creme fraiche and sugar on the side. A perfect sour-sweet combination. In general it has just a bit of sugar and the idea is that you add sugar at the side of your plate, as much as you personally like. If you use apricots instead, which are naturally sweeter, you may not need to use any extra sugar.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 kg cooked potatoes
• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg (exclude for vegan version)
• 2 tbsp oil

Filling

• 20 plums, pitted
• 1 cube or 1 tsp sugar per plum

Coating

• 3 cups breadcrumbs
• 100 g butter (or coconut oil for vegan version)
• 4 tbsp sugar
• Sour cream (exclude for vegan version) and sugar to taste

Method

Dough

Cook the peeled and diced potato with salt, drain the water and mash it. Add beaten egg and oil and mix well. Add 2 cups of flour, one by one and mix. The dough is now still sticky but this is ok. 

Filling

Take the pits out of the plums trying to keep the halves together. Put a cube (or 1 tsp) of sugar in each plum. You can use other meaty whole fruits such as apricots, small peaches, figs, but you may want to skip the sugar then… You can even make any type of fruity or creamy sauce, freeze it in ice cubes and use them as the filling. While you cook the dumpling it will defrost and you get a nice oozing effect when you cut through it. Hungry yet? 

Coating

Melt the butter in a pan (or coconut oil) and add breadcrumbs. Constantly stirring, fry the breadcrumbs until they become golden brown. Use the low heat as they burn easily. Turn off the heat and add the sugar. You can also add cookie crumbles, ground nuts such as pistachio, almonds and hazelnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla seeds… anything you like that will complement the filling. 

Assembling and cooking

Put a big pot of water to boil. When you have the dough, filling and coating ready, you can start assembling. Put some flour in one hand and put a big spoonful of the dough. Then put the flour in the other hand and press it gently to form a flat circle on your palm. As soon as you feel it is getting sticky, sprinkle more flour. Don’t press hard or knead the dough, just try to flatten it as much as possible. When it becomes the size of your palm, put one plum in the middle and coat it all around. Again, use flour on your hands when it becomes sticky. Make sure you cover the whole plum and close all gaps to make a ball. Then you can gently lower your dumpling to the bottom of the boiling pot using a big spoon. Once the dumpling starts floating on the surface, it is ready and you can take a big spoon with holes to grab it and transfer to the pan with breadcrumbs. While hot it is very gentle, so make sure you move it around slowly with two spoons until it is completely covered in breadcrumbs. Then transfer to a plate and let cool. Repeat for all the plums. If you have dough left you can refrigerate or freeze it and have it ready for the next time.